When Heaven Wept
by NeonZangetsu
Summary: Tenrou Island was obliterated. Erased from existence, by the dragon of the apocalypse, Acnologia. There were no survivors. Seven years later, Fairy Tail has all but given up hope. That is, until a strange boy appears on their doorstep. NarutoxWendyxharem Fluff, Romance, Action, lemons etc.
1. Generation

**A/N: OMG! Read the latest chapter of Fairy Tail Right now! Otherwise, you will be hopelessly confused! Also, you will know at what point that the crossover, first begins, as opposed to the actual canon storyline. Also, and might I add, that I now officialy HATE the Twilight Ogre Guild? Arrogant self-righteous bunch of bastards that they are; I figured they could do with much-needed good 'ol ass kicking, wouldn't you agree, Fairy Tail fans? **

_**Generation**_

A young boy saw the smoke in the faroff distance and wondered at it. Hadn't there been an island there, a moment ago? An island with a giant tree? He blinked, scrubbed at his eyes with the back of a hand, and sat back down in the rowboat. Strange. Very strange. For a boy of twelve years, it was certainly the strangest sight he'd ever seen. He blinked, squinted up into the sunlight, and, for a moment, saw a huge, massive shadow.

It was as if all the light had been blotted out from existence. He winced, _winced_ as a massive beast swept overhead, nearly dislodging him from his place in the raft. Yelping in disbelief, he stumbled backward and flopped out of the boat, landing in the waters with a mighty splash. And still, spluttering and coughing, he couldn't bring himself to tear a single lid from it, from the majestic creature that had overtaken him and_-mockingly-_overturned his craft.

_**Acnologia.**_

_"Acnologia."_ He breathed in disbelief, recognizing the glinting, golden markings upon the dragon. "Oi! Wait! Acnologia!" He raised a hand after it, his fingers straining for it as it soared above him and roared, high overhead and into the clouds. "You have to tell me! You have to tell me where she went! Please! Wait! Aconologia!" He cried out after it, even when it receded into the distance and vanished from his sight. Even then, even though he wept and spat and moaned, it did not answer. Even then...

...the Dragon did not reply.

_"ACNOLOGIA!"_

In the end, as he pulled himself back into the boat, there was only silence.

* * *

_(Seven Years Later)_

The door opened to Fairy Tail opened swiftly, and slammed shut just as quickly, shutting out the harsh light of the afternoon. A stranger stepped through these doors, his eyes darker than the deep blue sea, his hair brighter than the shining sun itself. All eyes fell upon him; this strange lad, wrapped in a matte-black cloak, garbed as if for the coming of winter, not the middle of spring. He pulled back his hood, revealing the likeness of a face that had not been seen for seven years.

He was a handsome youth, if intense. His blond hair was disheveled, his blue eyes intelligent, his features balanced. Whisker marks tripled each cheek cheeks that might have dimpled with a constantly bright and enthused grin; no matter the situation or mission. Now, he was intense, his visage free of the baby fat that had cursed him in his younger years. Chiseled and nigh but expressionless, that face squinted against the sunlight and peered through the door, wondering at the strange sight that lay within. Furniture had been viciously overturned, bottles broken, and, as he looked on, he realized that the destruction had come to a sudden halt; most likely due to his sudden entrance.

"Is this Fairy Tail?" These were the first words out of his mouth.

"Huh?" Everyone gawked at him.

"This _is_ Fairy Tail_...right?"_ The young man asked, his eyes sweeping across the room. "This _is_ Natsu's guild, isn't it?" When no one answered him, he stepped over the threshold, allowing the door to swing shut behind him. Noting the intense looks of displeasure levied upon him by a number of curiously garbed individuals, he blinked, offering his shoulders in recompense for his temerity.

"I am interrupting something? He asked pleasantly, as if that were not painfully obvious. "If so, I can come back later...

"Who the hell do you think you are?" One of them asked. The blond turned towards him. He was a tall, lanky looking man, and, at the moment, his face was twisted as though someone had wrenched it into a permanent grimace. "This is Twilight Ogre turf, pal." He jerked a thumb toward the door, not even bothering to approach. "If you know what's good for ya, you'll get lost, if ya get my meaning."

The blond took one look at the club strapped to the man's back, and blinked.

"Twilight Ogre?" The blond frowned, once more proving oblivious to the obvious. "Sorry, but I don't have any business with you. I came here to join Magnolia's greatest guild." He turned, pointing to the weathered banner that hung over the hearth. "I came here, to join Fairy Tail." Turning toward the assembled members of Fairy Tail, he asked, "Say, could one of you point me toward your Guild Master? I'm really anxious to meet him-

"OI!" The club-wielding man known as Teebo shouted, interrupting him. "Weren't you listening to what I said earlier?"

"Not really, no." The blond answered blandly, earning a series of shocked gasps from those of Fairy Tail. "If you're not from Magnolia's greatest guild, then I really don't have anything to say to you right now."

"Have you been living under a rock or somethin', buddy?" Teebo scoffed. "Fairy Tail hasn't been the greatest guild in Fiorre for the last _five years!_ Twilight Ogre runs this town now, you get me? If you had any sorta sense, you'd be joining our guild, not theirs!"

"But that's just it," The blond repeated flatly, the sudden lack of enthusiasm betraying his words. "I've _already_ been to your guild! And it's boring! I don't want anything to do with it! No, I'd much rather join Fairy Tail." He let the statment hang, unadorned between them. "That's not a problem, is it?" He asked_-quiet-_his eyes narrowing slightly, ever so slightly.

"And what if it is?" Teebo sneered.

"Well, in that case, I don't much care what you have a problem with and what you don't." The boy answered simply. "Is it any business of yours which guild I join and which I don't?" Even as he said this, he brushed the club-wielding mage aside, the man already forgotten, in his mind. "Now, I wonder who the master is-

"Hey!" Teebo snarled, seizing the boy's shoulder. "We're not finished yet!"

The blond mage stopped in his tracks, his face slowly appearing over his shoulder as he curiously regarded his once fallen opponent. A look of irritation crossed his single eye as it regarded the self-serving servant behind him.

"You're bothering me." The blond stated swiftly, his composure slipping somewhat. "Please, step away."

"And if I don't?"

_Whump._

The blond mage looked Teebo directly in the eye and released a dense wave of magical energy.

Teebo's mouth hung open in shock as he and those members of Twilight Ogre surrounding him fell to their knees. His eyes were staring straight into Naruto's, the expression on his face a mixture of fear, fury, confusion and defeated dejection. His jaw started working but he couldn't force any sound to come out. Everyone gawped. Gawped, as the mysterious blond took three steps forward, and brought himself face to face with his fellow mage. He frowned down on the men, severely.

"Speak again at your own peril, fools." He warned, all of his earlier composure falling to the wayside. "I'd rather not kill you, but unfortunately, I'm not feeling very merciful at the moment."

One of them scoffed.

"You wouldn't dare!" One of the grunts said, turning his gaze toward their leader. "Ain't that right, Teebo-san? Fairy Tail wouldn't dare lift a finger against Twilight Ogre!"

"Is that so?" The blond mage-to-be smiled. "But you seem to have forgotten something."

_"W-What?"_

"I ain't a part of Fairy Tail yet, kono yarou." The blond snapped back, his gorgeous white grin streaking across his mouth as he inhaled sharply. "Even so, you lot have insulted this guild for the last time!" Another oppressive wave of magical power burst froth from him, the sheer _force_ of such a power serving as to drive them back several steps. Back they went, staggering, stumbling, struggling to reclaim their footing as the wind abruptly tore the boy's cloak open and revealed him for who he truly was.

**"!"**

_"Suiryū no_...

A blue magic seal burst before his lips, inviting a torrent of azure energy to the heart of the guild. The boy inhaled and his stomach swelled, then his chest, then his cheeks, as all the while the magic worked its way upward through his body, building into a blinding surge. He thrust his face forward, his lips parted in a defiant scream that rippled forth, from his lips, bursting forth in a sea of cerulean light that caused everyone's eyes_-Twilight Ogre and Fairy Tail alike-_to bulge in comprehension.

**_...Hōko!"_**

Within a gash of blinding light, his breath tore forward and slammed into the mages from Twilight Ogre.

By the time the whole of Fairy Tail did think to drop to the floor, a screen of blue was discharged without warning. While everyone felt the strong pull of the massive tidal wave the only ones who absorbed the worse of it were the mages from Twilight Ogre. Unable to believe their eyes nor their ears, the unlucky magicians were flung clear out of both bar and battle, sent flying across the next street where they caromed off the steps leading to the guild hall, landing in a gaggle of arms and legs and mud.

Yet strangely, the only one that was left standing was the mysterious stranger who seemed unharmed by the sudden surge. It almost seemd as if the cone of destruction might have originated from his very flesh. But that was impossible. The only one's who could perform such a spell were those who knew Dragon Slayer magic. And yet, was this not what they had just seen? But it had been years since they'd last seen such a magic! It had been nearly _seven_ _years!_

Seven, long, arduous years.

Back then, three others had wielded this very same type of magic. Back then, Fairy Tail had been a brighter, happier place. Back then, they would never have allowed themselves to fall so far as they had fallen now. Now, as a boy_-a man-_bearing such an ability appeared before them; wielding the very same magic said to have been banished from the face of the earth for almost a decade, their shock was overwhelming.

Now, as the water retreated, turning itself to mist, roiling, boiling, baring its fangs with a mind numbing intensity, they began to understand. With a soft, squelching sound he turned his attention toward them, the waters retreated inward, dissipating before their very eyes.

"Sorry about the mess," the cloaked stranger apologized to the shocked guild. "Did I...overdo it a little?" He scratched at the back of his head and adjusted the muffler across his neck. "Damn, I did, didn't I!" He swore profusely, his words emerging as little more than a frenzied blur. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to do that much damage its just that I'm not used to using that much magic at once and they were wrecking everything and I...I..._I'm so sorry!"_

His mouth opened and closed several times, but no words made their way from it. His shoulders pumped up and down heavily as he breathed, his face dragging the floor as he shoved his head down further and knelt, prostrate before them.

"Please forgive me!"

Everyone sweatdropped at his sudden departure from normality.

_'Is this guy for real?'_

But before anyone could hope to voice her opinion on the matter, Laki stepped forward. She crossed the threshohold between them and the newcomer, approaching him with out any of the hesistation expressed by the other members of the guild. She knelt before the enstranged blond and reached forward, cupping his chin, tipping it upward so as to get a better look at him. Briefly, his eyes found hers once more. They were no longer the same, shimmering blue they'd been previously she realized, though the thought of staring into these light, glassy orbs of sapphire brought her little comfort. She could still see the anger, the confusion burning beyond his vision. At length, she smiled. It was a soft, watery, smile, this one, bellying the element she'd seen him so blatantly release upon those from Twilight Ogre.

"Thank you." She said softly. "For doing that."

"You're welcome." The boy muttered weakly. "They had it coming."

_'They certainly did.'_ she mused to herself, but instead asked:

"What's your name?"

"My name?" The boy blinked. "You mean...nobody never mentioned me?" When this was greeted by silence, he seemed about to dissolve into begging for forgiveness again_-a trait that eerily reminded everyone of another Dragon Slayer that they knew-_but Laki's shake of the head seemed to dispel this concern, somewhat. Straightening, bending at the knees, he stood woodenly and not taking enough care.

"M-My name is Uzumaki Naruto." He stammered, hesitantly. "M-Might I...ask your name?"

"Laki Olietta." Laki introduced herself. "Say, just now, was that...Dragon Slayer Magic?"

Naruto nodded, albeit hesitantly.

"Yes it was," He began, his words growing steadily stronger with every syllable. "Lady Tsukiumi taught it to me. Seven years ago, she told me that I'd find Dragon Slayers like myself here, eventually, but I kinda got lost...for the last seven years."

Everyone facefaulted.

_"For seven years!"_

Laki sweatdropped.

_"Here we go again..._

**_A/N: That's right! Naruto is the Dragon Slayer of Water! I couldn't really think of anything else to give him, seeing as Air, Fire, Steel, Poison, and Lightning were all already taken! Also, read the lastest chapter of Fairy Tail to understand what has happened! I will eventually reveal how Naruto came to be in possesion of Dragon Slayer Magic, etc so on and so forth, and don't worry, updates for this chapter will be swift and steady! This will be (somewhat) following the manga and such! _**

**_Here's hoping that Natsu and co. are alive and well!_**


	2. Reclamation

**A/N: OMG! Read the latest chapter of Fairy Tail Right now! Otherwise, you will be hopelessly confused! Also, you will know at what point that the crossover, first begins, as opposed to the actual canon storyline. Also, and might I add, that I now officialy HATE the Twilight Ogre Guild? Arrogant self-righteous bunch of bastards that they are; I figured they could do with much-needed good 'ol ass kicking, wouldn't you agree, Fairy Tail fans? **

_**Reclamation**_

_Feelings are a connection. They surpass time, and find their way back to the people you love. I was able to feel that connection. And it was more than enough reward for me._

_~Lucy Heartfillia. _

**_(Nearly One Month Later)_**

It was almost two before there was a chance for lunch. Until then his desk was snow-banked with demanding papers, the telephone rang constantly and an amry of insistent visitors attacked his walls with requests for work. By twelve, his nerves were pulled like violin strings knobbed to their tightest. By one, the strings drew close to shearing; by one-thirty they began to snap. He had to get away now; immediately; flee to some shadowy restaurant booth, have a cocktail and a leisurely meal; listen to somnolent music.

He had to.

For his sake, if not that of Fairy Tail's.

Word had spread within the last month; word that their was a new Dragon Slayer in Magnolia_-in Fairy Tail-_once again. And within said month, Twilight Ogre hadn't apparently _forgotten_ to take any of their usual "payments" as they always did. In his mind, there was one, and _only one_ individual to be blamed_-or rather, congratulated-_for their sudden complacency. Despite the sound thrashing Teebo and his men received at the hands of Fairy Tail's newest member, the once abrasive guild known as Twilight Ogre, strangely known for its "persuasive" tactics, had been rather quiet as of late.

There was no complaint lodged against Fairy Tail, nor, as of yet, had there been any retaliation. Which was good. Fairy Tail had only just begun to recover. The last thing they needed was another guild war like the one they'd had with Phantom Lord way back when. Fairy Tail had been in its prime then, with names such as Salamander, Titania, and other infamous members with which to bolster its already infamous reputation.

Now, the newest poster boy of Magnolia, this strange stranger who claimed not to be from Fiorre, but from somewhere else entirely, went by a name almost as remarkable as those that had come before him. Almost, but not quite.

**Leviathan.**

And thanks to "Leviathan", for the first time in seven years, for the first time in nearly a decade, they had hope again. Things were beginning to look up, too. Hence the reason Macao needed a beer, en masse. There was simply too much paperwork now, and not enough time in which to do it!

And it was all thanks to _him._

Ever since the new kid had joined their guild, they'd flourished. More than that. They'd been all but flooded with work. Apparently, even after all these years, a Dragon Slayer had its uses. Not only did he get along with nearly everyone in the guild_-Laki in particular-_but he'd even managed to recruit a number of new members to boot! Not only that, but he'd gotten it onto the cover of the Weekly Sorceror every week for the past four weeks!

There was only one problem.

Everyone wanted to know his name now; because it was the name of _this_ new upstart, and by default the name of the guild he came from. Looks, charm, humility; honestly, the kid pretty much had it all. The only thing he _didn't_ have was a sense of direction. You could tell him to go North and he'd go _South_ for crissakes! Thankfully, they'd taken the added precaution of sending someone with him whenever he went out on a job, but at the rate these requests_-requests for him-_kept coming in, they wouldn't be able to maintain such a practice for much longer. But this paled in comparison to the true problem.

As sad as it might seem, everyone wanted a piece of this stranger who claimed he came from another realm. That he wielded Dragon Slayer magic was only the half of it. The strange, circular symbol on his stomach was unlike any magical mark or seal they'd ever seen and, when they'd first asked about it, Naruto became strangely sullen. Not even his recently appointed team mate, Laki, had been able to work him out of his a funk, Mentally, Macao made a note. Henceforth the enigma of Naruto's _tattoo_ was to be labeled as just that, taboo; because the mere mention of it seemed to send the boy spiraling into depression; to which he recalled the tale that Laki had told him...

_(Flashback, nearly a week earlier)_

_"Say, what's that?" Laki asked, suddenly._

_Naruto tilted his head from where he lay on the steps leading up to the guild. It had become an odd habit of his_

_"What's...what?" He asked quietly._

_"That mark on your stomach." Laki repeated, eyeing the strange, circular symbol painted across the boy's otherwise flawless stomach. It was rotund in apperance, within even number of markings surrounding the strange circle. Strangely drawn towards it, she reached out a hand .She paused, tilting her head as she regarded it amidst the snow. She reached out and silently ran a slender finger from his exposed bandages up along his chest. His skin shuddered and shivered where she touched and he gulped. It was the only sound, save for the running of the city's waterway in the distance._

_Naruto shivered and flinched aside._

_"It's...nothing."_

_"That's an awful lot of nothing." Laki chided playfully. "Is it a tattoo or something?"_

_Naruto's expression turned dour._

_"You...might say that?"_

_"Ooh!" Laki squealed! "What's it for! Does it symbolize something?"_

_His eyes hardened, forming pools of liquid ice between them._

_"It does." He stated flatly, but said no more._

_"So?" Laki asked, blissfully ignorant of the fragile ground upon which she was so treacherously treading. "What does it stand for then?"_

_"You...want to know what this stands for?" Naruto asked milldly, indicating the facets of the strange tattoo._

_"Yes!"_

_Abruptly, Naruto stood; woodenly and not taking enough care to do so._

_"It stands for sacrifice." He answered softly, storming off before Laki could demand further answerment of him. _

_(End Flashback)_

Macao grimaced at the memory.

Kids these days...

Honestly, _someone_ had to find a way to cheer him up, and soon. There was no point in Fairy Tail regaining its former glory, especially if the one responsible for it had become almost as gloomy as a brooding Mystogan. In times such as these, they needed to grasp what little joy they could find. The same could also be said for his son, Romeo, would that he might just smile, smile as he had before the destruction of Tenrou Island. There were enough gloomy faces in the guild already. It simply wouldn't do to have another pair of sad puppy eyes whenever the subject of Natsu and the others was broached, even if-

**_"Master!"_**

Macao looked up as the door to his office burst open and_-speak of the devil-_Uzumaki Naruto walked in. Bounding on the balls of his feet as he entered, Macao knew right away that something was troubling the boy. His usually joyous grin was nowhere to be seen. Instead, his face was terse, tense, crumpled with anxiety. It was almost as if he'd been holding something in, a secret, perhaps? A secret so great, so terrible, that it looked as though he might explode, should he stay silent any longer.

"Something wrong?" Macao asked, slowly realizing that the newest member of the guild was no longer wearing his usual atttire. "Naruto?"

"Of course there is!"

He was wearing a strange attire, even for a Dragon Slayer folk; an orange sleeveless vest with blacken pants and black sandles. And there, branded across his right arm, was his pride and joy, the mark of Fairy Tail. Strapped to his back was a long oblong handle, one that looked almost like a staff, were it not for the wicked, inverse hook into which it tapered off; strongly resembling that of a scythe, a massive weapon wielded, as large as the boy who wielded it.

"Master!" He repeated, breathless. "You need to hear this!"

"I'm listening." Macao steepled his hands. Really, how could the situation get any worse.

"Outside!" Naruto gasped out. "There's an airship outside!"

* * *

"Th-That's Blue Pegasus' Christina!" Wakaba spluttered as everyone ran out. "What's that thing doing here?"

"This scent...it reeks of sentimental perfume."

Everyone looked up.

"Tooh!" With a single bound, the man leapt from his place amidst the mast and came hurtling toward the ground. Hurtling, using the term loosely. It might have been more appropriate to say that he crashed headfirst into the ground, in an underserving and humiliating manner.

"You fell?" Everyone cried out.

"I'm Ichiya, just for you." The man announced, sparkling, uninjured despite his erroneous tumble to the earth.

Naruto sweatdropped.

"Oi, oi...

"We understand how you feel, Ichiya-sama, but won't you settle down a bit?" A voice called from above.

Naruto jerked his gaze skyward, perplexed to see three men descending from the airship, borne aloft by currents of heavenly air. He knew these men. He knew them, if not by name, then through their illustrious reputation. It was a reputation he did not look kindly upon, and one he now bore witness to firsthand as the trio landed.

"You're as beautiful as ever, Laki-san." Hibiki smiled charmingly upon landing, taking her hand in his.

"T...Those glasses really suit you. "Added Ren.

"Do you mind if I call you baby?" Asked Eve.

_Of all the-!_

"Do something other than flirt!" Naruto snapped, whisking his teammate up into his arms and away from the three womanizers. "All three of you!"

"Ah," Utterly unfazed, Hibiki turned toward the enraged mage with a small smile. "So this is Fairy Tail's "Leviathan", that I've heard so much about." He glanced up and down a bit, appraising his fellow blond. "Tell me, are you really a Dragon Slayer like Natsu-san or was that just a rumor?" Naruto swore explosively and would gladly have given Hibiki a "demonstration", were it not for Laki's restraining hand upon his shoulder.

As it was, he simply spat.

_"Say that again, I dare you!"_

"Oh, my." Hibiki's smile had returned. "You even have the same temperment."

"I...that's not it at all!" Naruto spat, flustered. "Gah! Nevermind! Did you come here to just to harass me, or what!"

"As a matter of fact, no." Ren interrupted before the pair could come to blows. "We''re here on business, but we have with us a friend of yours, actually." He let the statement hang, unadorned between them. Laki exchanged a hesitant glance with her partner, wondering just who this supposed "friend" of Naruto's was. From the way he stiffened she supposed it was someone important.

Naruto blinked.

_"What?"_

Eve silently smiled and raised his hand toward the airship, beckoning.

"He's down here!"

Naruto raised his gaze toward the skyline and blinked.

Before he could say anything other than "Oh" a streak of deep indigo, shot across his vision. Naruto didn't even have time to blink. One moment he'd been crouched as if to hurl himself at Hibiki; the next, he found himself swept upward, his face squished against something soft and furry. Whatever words he'd meant to say slipped through loose lips, his hands taut in pained disbelief as the bonecrushing vice tightened around his chest and face, sending him toppling backwards, despite the fact that he was still on his knees.

Was he under attack already?

"I finally found you!" He blinked as a pair of paws perched upon his shoulder, while another fisted through his hair, pulling him close when he tried to turn away. "I knew it!" It took some doing, but somehow, he managed to reclaim his balance. Staggering, stumbling, he found his footing despite the fact that whatever it was clung to his face seemed to be perfectly content to lick it off.

It was a cat. _A cat with wings._

"Geh!" Naruto cried out, unable to breathe as the strange creature assaulted him. "Who in the hell-_Haku!" _His eyes bulged as he recognized the enigmatic apparatigion holding him, strange creature that it was, and still he did not fail to recognize her. Gentle orbs of the softest, purest chestnut brown framed by a fury flaming orange tresses and that unmistakable robe **(think Haku's original garments, but exceed sized)** and that clean scent of delight and disbelief emanating from her and_...it was undeniable._

"Haku!" Naruto cried, joyous with relief, sweeping the cat up into his arms without a second thought. "Where have you been!" Whooping with joy, he spun around and caught the exceed before she could spread her wings, or, fall to the earth. "I missed you! C'mon, tell me where you've been, already!"

"Looking for you." The winged kitten replied, licking his cheek with an affection that seemed_-to Laki-_to be almost natural between the two of them. "You're not an easy man to find, Naruto. What exactly did you hope to accomplish by going off on your own like that?"

The blonde's expression turned dour, then almost immediately after that, apologetic.

"Hehehe...sorry."

**WHAM!**

Naruto yelped, _yelped _as Haku simultaneously produced a ridiculously large frying pan_-summoned from the equally ridicously small pack at her back_-and, subsuquently smote him across the head with it. Second later, as a large red welt rose from within his hair, Naruto began to laugh. He laughed, as he stumbled stupidly. He laughed, as a trickle of blood wormed its way into his eye, much too the dismay of those present. He continued to laugh, even as the exceed continued to beat him with it, shouting insults and much profanities all the while.

"How do you lose someone like me for a year!" Haku chided him angrily. "You kept getting lost for the last six but after seven, you had to lose _me,_ too!"

"Ow!" Naruto laughed! "Okay, okay, okay! I'm sorry, Haku-chan! Now stop that! It tickles!"

Everyone, Laki included, sweatdropped.

"That..._tickles?"_

Then they seemed to realize that this Dragon Slayer, just like Natsu, Wendy, and Gajeel, had a cat of his very own.

"Haku...?" Macao and the others blinked as one, thunderstruck. "Who is...?"

"She's my cat, of course." Naruto snorted. "Well, she isn't _always_ a cat but-

"Hey!" Ichiya shouted. "You guys! We didn't come here for that!"

"Excuse us!" Ren, Eve, and Hibki, bowed out at once.

"I don't forget the perefume of camaraderie those I've competed and fought with." Ichiya stated, resolutely. "And neither, for that matter, should you!"

"Eh?" Naruto sweatdropped. "Are all the men in Blue Pegasus seriously like this...?"

"It would seem so." Haku mused.

"Something matching Christina's movement characteristics that we've recorded in the information archives has been detected in Fiorre's eternano reading." Hibiki explained as simply as he could; but this only left everyone with looks of stupefication, leaving it to another to properly explain the mage's words.

"In other words," Ichiya finished, "Tenrou Island still exists."

"Which is why we're here." Hibiki clarified. "Naruto-san, we need you to come with us. Immediately."

"What?" Naruto gawped, and Haku was not far behind him. "Why?" she asked. "What does this have to do with him?"

Hibiki indicated the both of them.

"Because we believe that your sudden arrival in this world may have something to do with Tenrou Island's mysterious dissappearance." Ren answered, raising both his hands placatingly when the former opened his mouth to protest. "It's not that we're blaming you for that, as we already know what caused the island itself to dissapear. However it cannot be denied that you, yourself, have some manner of connection to that cause."

The silence was deafening.

"Just what the hell are you getting at?" Naruto asked at last. "Are you saying that I had something to do with the destruction of Tenrou Island?"

"Naruto-kun would never- Laki began, but a hand silenced her.

"We're not accusing him of anything!" Eve protested loudly, " In fact its quite the contrary." Eve beamed at Naruto, and the Dragon Slayer of Water did not like what he saw in that sudden smile. "Naruto-san, we think that your magic, the magic of a Dragon Slayer, might be some sort of, well, a key."

"A key for what?"

"Well I'd rather not say-

_"Maaaaaiiiin!"_

Ichiya's loud cry prevented Eve from offering any sort of an explanation. All eyes turned toward the perfume user, a mingling of anger and exasperation flickering across their features. But esteemed member of Blue Pegasus held his ground under the weight of their stares, and did not falter. Instead, he adjusted his tie, and whisked a hand through his hair, the brown mess perfecting at the touch of his fingertips.

"Before we speak any further," He began, "I need your guarantee, the guarantee of Fairy Tail's guildmaster. Will you be willing to release Naruto into our custody for the time being?" He was speaking to Macao, everyone realized. He would refuse of course. And why shouldn't he? Who would be willing to give up their newest member, a fresh recruit who hadn't even spent more than a month helping to rebuild the guild? Of course he would deny them their request. Naruto, green though he was, was still an important part of Fairy Tail, and many would be sad to see him, go. Still others, those that he had personally drawn into the fold of Fairy Tail, would be terrified at the prospect that he might not return; that, slim though it was, he could vanish, just as most of the guild had before him. And where would they be then? Where would they be, having allowed a nakama to leave their midst_-however briefly_-only to have him never return? It would be heart shattering for them. For all of them.

Especially Laki.

_"Done."_

"Master!" Laki cried! "You can't be serious! What if something happens to him!"

"That's why _you're_ going with him." His tone was set, his eyes level, his voice grim. "To make sure that nothing happens." Laki flinched, taken aback. That was it then. End of discussion. No further explanation required. She was expected to obey the orders of her guild master after all. She could refuse, of course. But where would that leave her, as she let the one light remaining in her life walk away from her, just like she had all the others?

"U-Understood."

Suddenly, Macao had to bite his lip to keep the tears from overflowing. This was it. Here, laying before them, was a once in a lifetime chance to bring back Natsu, Erza, Gray, Lisanna...everyone. Somehow, someway, this had to succeed. So he was sending his best, the very, absolute best that Fairy Tail, in its current state, had to offer. Failure was simply not an option now. They couldn't_-he couldn't-_bear to lose anyone else to the same tragedy that had devoured Tenrou Island.

"Can I...ask you to look into this for me?" He asked, turning to face a dumbstruck Naruto. "I feel...terrible for leaving a burden like this for you to bear...its just that you and Laki are the only ones I can trust to do this. Please...I'm begging you...bring back our guild!" He flopped forward, his head scrapping the cobblestones as he lay there, prone and prostrate before the Dragon Slayer. "Bring back...my son's smile!" Naruto stared down at him, this proud man who had never before-to his knowledge-begged in his life, and he was touched. Really, there was only once such response that he, someone who desperately wanted to bring back the glory of the guild that he had come to view as his home; could possibly offer. And, as such:

Naruto beamed brightly.

_"Of course!"_

**_A/N: That's right! Naruto is the Dragon Slayer of Water! He is originally from his dimension, as is Haku(see the reference she isn't ALWAYS a cat) and, ah, I couldn't resist! But how did Naruto come to be in the realm of Fairy Tail? How is that the Kyuubi still resides within him? And what the hell happened to the Akatsuki and his own universe to send him hurtling through to this one, with someone supposedly long since dead?_**

**_The answers and more, await us next chapter! _**

**_really think of anything else to give him, seeing as Air, Fire, Steel, Poison, and Lightning were all already taken! Also, read the lastest chapter of Fairy Tail to understand what has happened! I will eventually reveal how Naruto came to be in possesion of Dragon Slayer Magic, etc so on and so forth, and don't worry, updates for this chapter will be swift and steady! This will be (somewhat) following the manga and such! _**

**_Here's hoping that Natsu and co. are alive and well! Also some notes for some of the attacks that Naruto, being the Dragon Slayer of Water, can utilize):_**

_Suiryū no Hōko (Water Dragon's Roar) the roar carries inside it several bubbles that thanks to the attack itself are in constat vibrations, when vibrations travel trough the water the movement generate internal injuries in the target due to the amount of movement_

___Suiryū _no kanryuu (Water Dragon's Cold Current) a whip like attack that emerges from a kick that causes both internal and external injuries

___Suiryū _no hahontsume,(W_ater Dragon Tearing Claws) _ a move that makes swirling like water surround the hands

___Suiryū _no ishikiri (Water Dragon's Stone Cutter) a move that can tear the ground as it travels or the good

___Suiryū n_o hahonryuu (Water Dragon Tearing Torrent) think like juvia's water baton but with a spiral motion.


	3. Reclamation II

**A/N: OMG! Fairy Tail has gotten exceptionally good as of late! That being said, it has also forced me to make several...modifications to my plans for this story. I hope you enjoy! It's been awhile since I've update this, but better late then never! Now, on to the rest of my Fairy Tail fics! All of my stories shall be updated! ALL OF THEM!**

___"Do whatever you think is right! That's the way of the Fairy Tail Mages!"_

_~Makarov. _

___**Reclamation**_

The majestic ship creaked and groaned; its sails rippled, fat with wind. Days from land, it split the ocean toward its destination in the west, carrying precious cargo. What little remained of Fairy Tail. man the crew knew only as the Master. He'd paid _each of them_ an exorbiant sum to ensure himself safe passage on their ship, this massive galleon. To them, his word was all but law, superceded only by that of their captain.

"Is it really around here?" Biska asked, peering across the prow of the ship.

Alzack siged.

"There's nothing to see...

"They have to be here." Laki sighed, staring out at the open ocean. "They just have to be."

_"They are."_

Everyone turned as Naruto swung down from the mast, grinning like an idiot. Haku drifted down seconds later, reclaiming her customary perch upon his shoulder. Naruto held up a map in his hands for all of them to see and laid it across the table for all to see; unable to contain his glee. He circled a portion of it with his pen, and then drew a large X nearby said circle to indicate their postions.

"We're here." He announced jabbing at the x with one finger. "And we should be able to see Tenrou Island once we reach here-he stabbed his finger into the map for emphasis and held it there for what felt like an eternity. "And, according to the Eternano reading, it shouldn't be far off from where we are now. He scribbled a doodle into the right hand corner, then, much to Laki's dismay.

"See?" He said, grinning. "They've got to be out here somewhere. We're just not looking hard enough, is all."

"There's been no word in seven years." Warren reminded them. "You all have to think about the worst case scenario as well! Especially you, Naruto! Just because we're out at sea doesn't mean you can pinpoint their exact location!"

Naruto scowled.

"I find your lack of faith disturbing, Warren."

"And I find your eternal optimism irritating!" Warren snapped back heatedly. "What makes you so sure that there's anything out here, anyway!"

"Why you-**!**"

"Now now, lets not fight." Said Laki with a smile that effectively ended the arguement between the two of them. The fact that she'd grown rather close to Naruto over the last month had nothing to do with it at all. And it _certainly_ didn't have anything to do with the sputtering blush that swelled across her cheeks when he spared her an appreciative smile as thanks for her efforts.

"Tch." Naruto snorted. "He started it."

Abruptly, Max stiffened.

"What...is that?"

Everyone gathered at the rail; each straining to see what Max had seen. Naruto and Haku were among the last to join them; the dragon slayer and his cat seeming to prefer the solace of each other's company and reluctant to join othe others.

"A person...?" Warren frowned, peering into the distance. "It looks like...a girl?"

"How!" Jet and Droy demanded. "It's on top of the ocean!"

"She's...She's standing on top of it!"

"Who's standing on top of what?" Naruto asked at last, snatching a spyglass off a nearby table and peering ino it. "Move over! Let me see!" Squinting through the looking glass, he was easily able to discern what his companions could not. Even from here, he could see the defining features of this supposed "child" who stood atop the waters surface like a weightless leaf:

She had very long wavy hair, blank eyes and a slight, child-like build. She wore a frilly layered robe and, furthering her fairy-like appearance bore wing-like protrusions around her ears. Barefoot, she stood upon the water and waved toward them. She made no move to attack them, nor they her; because this child smiled, smiled and beckoned with a hand outstretched, pointing to a lone indiviual amongst them.

"I would speak with the dragon child and his companion." Her voice rang across the open seas toward them, clear as a clarion bell. All eyes turned toward Naruto and Haku, who blinked and held up a paw in protest of the sudden scrutiny.

"Don't look at us." the exceed said. "I've never seen her before. What about you, Naruto?"

The blond shook his head.

"I think I would have remembered someone like that, Haku-chan."

The child beckoned once more, insistently.

_"Come."_

"I think she's wants to talk to you." Laki whispered conspiratorially. Naruto sweatdropped. Was it really that obvious? Some mysterious entity capable of water-walking just so happened to know that he'd been raised by a dragon in this universe, _and_ she might know about his past as a shinobi _and_ now said entity wanted to have a chat? Needless too say, Naruto wasn't exactly keen on the idea of striking up a conversation with her.

Not that he had much choice in the matter.

"Alrighty then," The onetime genin and newly reformed dragon slayer sighed, "I guess I'll go see what she wants." Without further adeu Naruto marched towards the railing, a look of intense satisfaction plastered across his face.

"But how are you-

Naruto snorted.

"Pssh! That's easy!" He flung himself out of the boat immediately thereafter, ignoring Laki's cry of displeasure that he would sink and drown. But nothing happened. Instead of sinking to the bottom of the ocean in his armour, Uzumaki Naruto landed on the water as though it were solid land. His arms pinwheeled for a moment, their hearts sinking for a moment, as he tried to reclaim his balance.

"Kidding!" Abruptly, Naruto straightened. "This is nothing! See!" Much to their dismay, he bounded up and down in place; rippling the surface of the water beneath his sandals and yet not so much as staggering in his footsteps. The remaining members of Fairy Tail gawped. What kind of magic was this, that allowed him to walk upon water as though it were land? Even in the world of Fiorre, such a concept was absolutely ludicrous. And yet, here he was, right before their very eyes, standing firm and tall and proud. As they struggled to understand what had just happened, Naruto snapped off a mock salute and turned towards the lone interloper standing upon the seas before them.

"So, what do you want with me, exactly?" Calmly, the former jinchuuriki phrased this question as he traversed the distance between them. It was easy to see this girl as some harmless child; a helpless strippling who didn't know any better than to bar his path. Naruto knew better. This girl and every fiber of her being, radiated power. Raw, terrifying energy, the likes of which even the Kyuubi paled in comparison. But whereas the bastard fox had been a lump of malevolent hatred, the prescence of this child could be felt as pure sunshine; a warmth that eased the aches and pains he'd suffered during the voyage, leaving him feeling refreshed and renewed.

"I simply wished to see if the rumors were true." The girl answered sagely. "And it seems that they were, every bit of them_...Uzumaki Namikaze Naruto."_ Naruto felt his blood run cold in his veins. He hadn't told anyone in this world his surname. Not even the Master. Not even Laki. So how was it then, that this wench knew of his prior existence in a time and place completely parallel to this one?

"How did you...?"

Her eyes twinkled like starlight.

"Suffice it to say that there is more to me than meets the eye."

A grimace of self-castigation.

"I kinda figured that one out for myself." Naruto grumbled.

The child smiled.

"There's no need to be frightened. I mean you no harm, truly." Her gaze slipped across his frame and slid toward the ship where Haku and the other's awaited. "I _am_ curious, however. How is it that your friend came to be trapped in the form of an Exceed?" Naruto felt a small spike of killer intent _before_ he heard the feline's outraged hiss and felt a need to properly answer the inquiry of the flaxxen-haired child.

"She _isn't_ trapped." Naruto found himself arguing. "Well, not when the sun sets." He proceeded to explain the unique circumstances that had led to his arrival in Earthland as well as the unfortunate crisis that had befallen his friend immediately thereafter. Haku had been dead. Revived through the use of the Edo Tensei, her soul forced into a body not her own, and forced to fight during the Fourth Shinobi war against her will. She'd broken free from the supposedly absolute bonding of the ritual, and, in the chaos that'd ripped him from the Five Nations and landed him here, her soul had been ripped from that faux body and cast into the dimensional rift as well. However, without a body that could house her soul, one had subsuquently been thrust upon her by the fates themselves. That new body faded everytime the sun went down, allowing her soul to emerge, allowing her true shape to take form, if only for a little while.

Now, doomed to be a cat by day and a woman by night, hers was also the reason that Naruto had come to seek out Fairy Tail upon completing his training. He sought to find a cure; to bring an end to this neverending tragedy that had befallen his comrade. A series of unfortunate events had led to their separation until just recently however which he took great care to explain to this strange water-walking child.

"Ah." the child who was not a child nodded by the completion of his tragic tale. "I apologize. I was unaware of your situation and it was rude of me to ask after such a personal matter." Naruto felt the killer intent lessen somewhat as the hissing in the background died down. Her anger slightly mollified for the moment, she reclaimed her perch upon a nearby railing and silently waited for the conversation to resume. Only for it to end abruptly, as the strangle little girl raised her voice for all to hear:

"Very well then, son of Tsukiumi. I shall open the way."

She raised both hands in a parting gesture and the seas parted beneath them. Rising from the depths, a giant sphere emerged. And, cradled within that sphere, like an infant nestled within its mothers womb, was an island. But not just any island. An island unlike any other, with a massive tree growing out of the center to encompass nearly all the mass it had to offer. The sacred holy ground of the Fairy Tail Guild.

"Tenrou Island!" Max cried! "It's Tenrou Island!"

Naruto had just enough time to enjoy the enthused cries of his guild mates before a strange scent piqued his interest. He'd always had a keen sense of smell as a jinchuuriki, but as a dragon slayer, he'd found that this sixth sense of his was amplified nearly tenfold. This was the scent of a dragon, intermixed with that of a human. One. Two. Three. Three such scents demanded his attention but the first stood out above the rest.

_'This scent...it smells...nice.'_

It was a light airy aroma, wreathed with pleasant smells that reminded him of a summer's breeze. Unlike the sooty, ashen scent, or the thick, metallic odor, this one called to him. It boiled in his blood; pining for him, crying out for him, demanding his attention. By the time he realized he'd broken into a run, it had become all but irressistable. He'd fail to notice the cries of his guildmates; and he'd also fail to notice the strange smile the girl threw at his back as he departed from the ocean and hurtled into the forest.

"Oi! Naruto went to Tenrou Island!"

"After him! Hurry!"

**_A/N: _****_Good to see that Natsu and co. are still alive and kicking in the manga! Though this fic just might have a few surprises in terms of their ages *grins evilly* I am going to pair him up with Wendy after all, so be prepared for anything! Also some notes for some of the attacks that Naruto, being the Dragon Slayer of Water, can utilize):_**

_Suiryu« no Hoko (Water Dragon's Roar) the roar carries inside it several bubbles that thanks to the attack itself are in constat vibrations, when vibrations travel trough the water the movement generate internal injuries in the target due to the amount of movement_

___Suiryu« _no kanryuu (Water Dragon's Cold Current) a whip like attack that emerges from a kick that causes both internal and external injuries

___Suiryu« _no hahontsume,(W_ater Dragon Tearing Claws) _ a move that makes swirling like water surround the hands

___Suiryu« _no ishikiri (Water Dragon's Stone Cutter) a move that can tear the ground as it travels or the good

___Suiryu« n_o hahonryuu (Water Dragon Tearing Torrent) think like juvia's water baton but with a spiral motion.

**_R&R!_**


	4. Scent of the Beloved Wendy

**A/N: Happy Birthday to me! I am now officially twenty-two! XD Since I'm in such a wonderful mood, consider this my treat to you all! A little advance on the next chapter that you've been wanting after so badly! Don't forget to review! Also, in fair warning, we're about to take a major divergence from the main, as in the canon, storyline peoplz! Hope you enjoy the teaser!**

_What's mine is yours and what's yours is mine...unless I want both._

_~Namikaze Naruto_

**Scent**

It was intoxicating.

Alluring.

Like a rose, freshly plucked from the vine; her scent wafted towards him, commanding_-demanding-_his attention. He could not ignore it. It was simply not possible. To ignore such an aroma would be tantamount to death and he refused to die. Because this scent was unique. It was as tangible as tears, as palpable as flesh. It had substance. It had meaning. And it was right there in front of him, tugging him inexorably onward within every passing moment.

Oh, there were others, too. Other smells, other scents; each plucking at him in turn, each seeking his attention. He paid them no heed. And one by one, they fell in the wake of scent he sought. He was drawing nearer now, forsaking the ashen, sooty smell for that of the gentle breeze that coaxed him onward. Now, Naruto did not recognize whom this scent belonged to, nor did he care. There was only the chase. Only the hunt. So focused was he in fact, that he didn't bother to slow down until it was far too late for any thing to be done about it.

His foot caught on something and sent him sprawling. His forehead kissed an iron root and stars swam before his vision. He tasted blood in his mouth as he scrambled upright finding purchase on a nearby bough. He was dimly aware of the voices of his guildmates at his back; that his arrival on the island had done something; triggered some ancient mechanism deep within the island itself. He did not care. The scent was all but maddening to him now. He would find it and then, when his curiousity had been sated, he would deal with whatever his prescence had summoned.

It was not until he felt the first stirrings of magical power that Naruto paused to consider his bearings in relation to the scent he was so doggedly pursuing. It started as a faint glimmer; what might have been the faintest gurgle; a babbling brook gushing into a roaring river as he progressed deeper into the wood. As he forged ahead into the forest, it became more apparent. Painfully so He was close. Whatever it was that held him would soon be within his grasp.

_That which has been taken shall now be returned._

Naruto staggered as something cold and icy knifed through his stomach. His vision blurred against a sudden nexus of magical power; an explosion that rattled his teeth, shook him to the core and swept him from his feet as though he were but a babe. He flew. _Literally._ His feet left the earth as a geyser of blinding light struck him; denying a him the right to advance. He spun, rounding on the voice as it resounded behind him:

"It's you again." Naruto frowned, recognizing the scent of the girl from before. And indeed, he was correct. A soft breeze caressed his cheek; fingers trailing through his hair a moment, an instant, an eternity, before they faded away like a mirage. He watched. Waited. And his patience was rewarded.

_The seven years shall begin again, _the girl whispered, whispering into existence before him. _With you as their herald. Go forth child of Tsukiumi, and meet the child of the sky, the daughter of Grandine. Think not of what you find as a bane, but rather, a gift. _With a mysterious smile, she winked out of existence_. _But not before the light intensified; threatening to blind the blond with his radiance.

The former shinobi threw up an arm before his face as the light inexplicably wilted; falling away into the darkness as he approached. When nothing came of it he shrugged. He could see again, but he still remained entangled in the roots of the island, the thicky, ropy tendrils halting his passing. Spluttering softly, the blond brushed them aside one by one, until at last, he was free once more.

What had that been about? He wondered at it for a moment before dismissing it entirely. This world was full of many strange things; strange magics that he knew nothing of, and even less about them. The strange little girl whom he'd encountered upon the sea remained just that, a glimmering memory. A phantasm, that haunted his thoughts with her words of truth and prohecy.

_Go forth._ the childlike voice whispered, urging him on once more. _Go forth and claim your destiny._

At length, Naruto stood.

He forced his way through the undergrowth, advancing tirelessly until finally, finally, he came upon something. Or rather, someone. She lay there, strewn amongst the rubble, her legs pinned by a tree. A low-powered rasengan bored right through the tree without harming the girl. She began to stir as he lifted the mighty oak off her. Remarkably, it was as if she hadn't been harmed in the slightest. Her legs, long and slim and feminine, bore not the slightest bruise, despite having been crushed by the tree.

"Charle...she whispered softly..."Where are you...

"Who the heck is Charle?" Naruto asked aloud.

"Eeep!" The girl squeaked, her eyes bursting open. She bolted upright and scrambled backwards, all in the same motion. Naruto blinked. Blinked, as she raised her gaze to pry into his own; blinked, as her lower lip trembled and her eyes quivered as if she was on the verge of tears. Poor thing, she probably was.

He was staring at a young woman, wearing a torn dress that looked to be many, _many_ sizes too small for her. Her hair, deep sapphire tresses, nearly the color of his own eyes obscured a face from which twin onyx jewels shone. She looked startled, frightened, and very, very much alone.

"Who are you?" She asked fearfully.

Naruto blinked.

_"Who are you?" he asked instead._

"M-My name is Wendy." The girl stammered weakly. "Wendy Marvell."

Naruto's jaw went slack.

_"Eh?"_

**A/N: Gyahaha! That is right! The gang of Fairy Tail aged SEVEN YEARS! Including our darling little Wendy. This will certainly change things! Hope you liked it and sorry if it is short, everyone! Now, if you'll excuse me, I am off to have myself a piece of Birthday cake!**

**R&R! =D**


	5. Predestination

**A/N: Kukukuku...I'm so glad that all of you like the changes I've made! I had to do something to make up for the age difference between Naruto and Wendy, did I not? Besides, this makes things more interesting. Now that everyone has aged, it stands to reason that their magical power has unconciously increased as well during that time, no? This makes much more sense than that whole "Seven Years of Nothing" bit that Mashima-san fed us. Plus its original! Unpredictable! Amusing, even! And before anyone asks, Happy and the exceed co, for some mysterious reason, did NOT age. Why is this? Does it have something to do with a Dragonslayer arriving on the island first? *hint hint* wink wink***

_Love is a complicated thing. Sometimes you find it. Sometimes it finds you. Sometimes it falls into your lap._

_~Neonzangetsu._

_**Predestination**_

_"Wendy?"_

She nodded. Then she blinked. Why did her body feel so strange? Her body felt as if she'd been stretched, and her chest felt rather...heavy. Not only that, but everything seemed to be slightly smaller than before. Why was that? Why was her heart hammering within her chest? Why did this boy stand before her, slack-jawed and wide-eyed? Why were her arms and legs longer than before? Why was her hair spilling out behind her back in a tide of dark sapphire; so much alike those wonderful orbs staring at her?

"Oi...are you really Wendy Marvell?" the boy asked again.

"O-Of course I am!" Even the sound of her own voice gave her pause. No longer was it the diminutive squeak of a young girl; rather it emerged as the irritated sigh of a young woman. Not quite her old voice, but not exactly new. Aged, like a fine wine. Like herself. The realization_-accurate though it was-_sent a jolt of disbelief down the dragonslayer's spine. This wasn't happening. This couldn't be happening. This couldn't possibly be...real...

_Nani?_

Slowly, the fear leached from her face, replaced by a different emotion. _Awe._ With trembling fingers she reached for her chest. She touched her face. Her waist. Her hips. The shredded tatters of her attire, stretched thin over her suddenly _endowed_ frame. When had this happened? _How_ had it happened, for that matter? The last thing Wendy remembered was a large blast of magical energy, raining down destruction upon her and the other members of the Tenrou team. Holding hands. Trusting their bond to hold as they swore to survive the dragon's attack.

_Acnologia._

She shuddered at the memory of that dragon. That monster, who'd ruthlessly crushed Tenrou Island under its heel with but a single blast. Or hadn't it? If she was still here, if she was still alive, then that meant she wasn't dead. If she wasn't dead, then the dragon obviously hadn't succeeded in its mission. If it hadn't succeeded then...then...then...

...then that meant she was not alone.

_"Meep!"_

With a small cry, Wendy tried to cover herself. To say that she failed was moot in point. Her dress was simply too torn; hopelessly savaged beyond any hope of repair. With a bossom she'd seen once before, and assets that would make a goddess green with envy. Unable to understand what had happened to her, Wendy buried her face in her hands and wept. Spluttering the blond removed his jacket and draped it over her shoulders. Wendy clung to as though it were a lifeline, and she would surely sink without it. But the cloak was warm, and it sheltered her bare skin from the cold.

"Arigatou." she whispered.

"D-Don't mention it." Incredibly, he refused to meet her gaze. Perhaps because his own was burning? She couldn't be sure, but his scent was strange. It almost reminded her of Natsu, but instead of the warm, sulphuric smell that often accompanied the flame dragon slayer, this one was alien. Like a gentle breeze, carrying the scent of the sea with and alongside it, it greeted her with warm and gentle exuberance. No, it was more than just the sea. It was like the ocean itself. Deep and vast and infinite in its capacity for violence and kindness. For the moment, this strangely-scented boy seemed to be leaning toward the latter.

He offered her his hand.

"Can you stand?"

She took it, idly marveling at how easily her fingers fit within his own. Yes, she could stand. Of course she could stand!

"I think so_...oh!"_

She could not stand.

Scarce had Wendy accepted his kindness than she pitched forward. The blond had just begun to pull her upright when her legs buckled beneath her, unable to support her, or her weight. She slammed headfirst into his chest and they went down in a gaggle of arms and legs and startled cries. When the dust cleared, Wendy was alarmed to find that she'd fallen atop him; accidentally stradling her handsome saviour, her head laid against his chest, her ear against his fast-beating heart.

_He smells nice. _Was the first thought to enter her mind. _Very nice. _She couldn't help herself. She inhaled, drinking deep of his intoxicating aroma. He smelled of the sea. Both of the sea _and_ of the wind and of noodles and...was that _ramen?_ Wendy liked it. She liked it very much. She was still trying to figure out why she suddenly looked like _this,_ as to why he smelled like Natsu-san, and so many other things, but she knew one thing for certain.

_She liked this nice-smelling boy._

"Um...Wendy?"

Wendy jerked backward as if she'd been _burned._ Her cheeks flaming, she bounded backwards, struggling to explain her reason for lingering on him as she had. Shamelees! So very shameless! Her body felt hot, as tough a fire had been lit within. She strugged with herself, but nothing came. No words. No explanation. The boy sat up propping himself on his elbows. He did not chastise her. Quite the contrary. He laughed. He actually laughed! He laughed until his sides shook and his eyes teared. And try as she might Wendy couldn't understand why.

"W-Why are you laughing?" She exclaimed aghast, looking down at the amused bond in consternation and frustration.

Naruto spread his arms and pushed himself off the earth.

"Well, you don't exactly look like yourself." he explained, gesturing with his hands for emphasis.

"Ano...

"Sure thing." The boy snapped his fingers and just like that, a pool of water materialized between them. Unlike Juvia's element, this water hung in the air before her, forming an easily visible mirror for which she could see her reflection. What she found left her speechless. Cradled within the water's grasp was of course, Wendy Marvell. The _Edolas_ Wendy Marvell, to be exact. Granted, there were some minor differences; her hair was longer and her features softer, but all in all Wendy bore a striking resemblance to her Edolas counterpart of herself.

"Is this...me?"

"Mirrors don't lie." The blond offered. "I hardly recognize you though, Wendy."

"Nani?"

The blond let out a dejected breath.

"You don't remember me do you?"

"Ano...sumimasen."

"I can't say I'm surprised." Her rescuer sighed. "It was a long time ago. You probably don't remember."

She did not. Surely she would have remembered such a boy; with his warm, clean scent and eyes that shone of sapphire. Surely she would have remembered. Surely. So why didn't she? Had she met him before? She couldn't remember. _Wait._ She did remember something. _Rain._ Streaming down her face. Or was it tears? She gasped at the memory but it ran through her fingers like water. All that emerged was a shock of blond hair then...blackness. Had she been too young to remember? Did she not want to? Suddenly a blur of motion splintered the image, shattering it like so much glass as a small, furry figure alighted upon his shoulder. A cat?

"So this is where you were?" A small, feminine voice inquired. "You ran off so suddenly...

The boy shrugged as an exceed_-an exceed!-_settled onto his shoulder. Wendy marveled at her. She_-for it was most certainly a she-_had a light coat of fur, creamy blue, almost azure. Her brown eyes however, were not what one would excpect of an exceed. They pinnioned her with a single gaze. They were harsh. Piercing. Filled with cynicism. When the neko turned her gaze toward her partner however, they softened. No longer were they harsh chips of amber, but a soft, milky, chocolate brown.

"Well I said it back then, and I'll say it again. The name's Naruto. Uzumaki Naruto." He spared a glance for the cat that had settled on his shoulder. "Oh, and this is Haku. You two haven't met before, have you?"

"Pleased to meet you." The exceed inclined her head and extended a paw, which Wendy took.

"K-Konichiwa...

"Ah, but its so hot." Naruto proclaimed suddenly. "Hey! Maybe this will refresh your memory." He exhaled softly, a seal of azure magic whispering into existence before him as he drew breath. He swept a hand through it and suddenly, that hand was engulfed in moisture. He grinned, baring sharpened fangs, as Wendy's eyes grew wide and overlarge before this sudden phenomenon.

_"Suiryu no..._

Naruto gestured with the fingers of his right hand, summoning forth a small spiral of water. He banished it with a swift motion of the left, splashing the water across his head in a gentle arc. The water flattened his spiky locks, beating the sweat from his brow and splashing a jet of wetness all around. Wendy was immediately soaked. Not thrown as the mages in Twilight Ogre had been in the guild, but instead doused with a deluge of rainwater.

Wendy _squealed_, such was her surprise.

"What is this?"

"What does it look like?" Naruto grinned.

Wendy's eyes all but shone with stars. She'd _known _there was something strange about him; she'd known it the moment she laid eyes on him. Now, she knew what it was. Those eyes. The fangs. That delicious magical power sweeping a tide of warmth across her body and into her very soul. It was unmistakeable. Undeniable. But she couldn't believe it.

_"You're a dragonslayer?"_

"I am." Naruto answered with a hint of pride. "I'm what you'd call a third generation dragon slayer. Like you, I was raised and trained by a dragon, 'cept mine was Tsukiumi-sama. However, and unlike you, I had a dragon lacrima infused within my body at a young age, so as to better harness my powers." Another shrug. "I suppose you could say that's what gives me my strength. And it's important that I have this strength."

"Nani?"

"There's no point in having strength if you've no one to protect." Naruto closed his eyes. "An old friend told me that a long time ago. That's why I'll only ever use my power to protect those precious to me." When he opened his eyes again, their normal blue tint seemed more like winter ice than summer skies. "I suppose you could say its been a hard learned lesson for me."

"Ano...what's your friend's name?" Wnedy tented her fingers nervously. "He sounds like a nice person."

"He was." Naruto's expression turned dour. "His name was Sasuke. He...died a long time ago." Abruptly his visage brightened. "But hey! Enough gloomy stuff! I'm justt happy to see you again! Even if you don't remember me." He offered her his hand and bowed, as a prince would toward a princess.

"Well then, shall we go find the others?"

For a dreadful moment she marveled at him. Then:

"I'd...I'd like that very much, Naruto-san."

"As you should." Haku huffed.

"Haku!" Naruto exclaimed aghast, glaring at the exceed. "Don't be rude!"

Tentatively, Wendy took his hand. Briefly, she marveled at how her fingers fit within his own. A perfect fit. Like her hand was meant to be with is. Was she overthinking things again? She hoped so. She'd only just met this boy; this strange dragonslayer who claimed they'd previously met. She tried to remember. She really did. But try as she might, she simply could not recall anything. Instead, she contented herself to rise and be led by the hand.

She would not realize until some hours later that she never did let go of his hand while they were on Tenrou island...

* * *

_(Meanwhile, in Fairy Tail)_

"Romeo, was it really a good idea for you not to go along with Naruto?" Macao asked his somber-faced son. "I'm sure he would have wanted you to come."

"Even if Tenrou Island is found there's no telling whether everyone is alive, right?" Romeo gripped the cover of his book tighter. "So what does it matter if I go?" He refused to even so much as look at his father. "There's no way they could still be alive...

"Nonsense!" We have to believe!"

"There's been no word in over seven years." Romeo didn't so much as bat an eyelash. "And what does it matter? You're going to name Naruto as the Master when he returns, aren't you?" His tone turned accusing. "He's only been here a month and he's already got everyone wrapped around his little finger. Everyone treats him like family! _You_ even made him S-Class without making him take the exam! It's not fair! Natsu-nii would never have stood for that!"

Macao sighed. His son's anger was understandable. Naruto was a newcomer, and Romeo still didn't trust him. The way he saw it, Naruto was trying to take Natsu's place. He'd been at odds with the dragonslayer ever since. He'd outright refused to be trained by him. He wouldn't even try to speak to the blond, much less tolerate his prescence. Macao understood his son's pain. Just as _he_ understood that as things were now, Fairy Tail had no choice but to rely on this stranger who'd saved them from oblivion. And it was true despite his attemps to deny it.

He _had_ been thinking of appointing Naruto as Guild Master in his place. The boy was strong, charismatic, but most of all, he was kind-hearted. That kindness had attracted a plethora of mages to Fairy Tail, hailing from far and wide, raising them from dead last to a respected guild once again. Granted, they still operated out of a bar and _granted_ they still owed Twilight Ogre their fee for keeping them afloat but given a few more months and all of that could change. Naruto was for lack of a better word, an unofficial SS-Class mage. He'd taken on missions that _Gildarts_ would have balked at. Befitting of a Third Generation Dragon Slayer, he'd lived up to his name as Leviathan. Be it water or land, he was virtually unstoppable, so long as their was moisture in the air. Rumors abounded about him and his place of origin. Some said he had close ties to Sabretooth, the number one guild in all of Fiorre. Others said he was a rouge mage, said to have served in the Ballam Alliance. Macao didn't much care what they said.

Naruto was a good soul. As was Haku. Everyone in the guild knew that. Even Romeo. The Dragonslayer and the exceed had been nothing but a blessing ever since they'd first set foot in the door. While he admittedly knew little of the cat_-he'd only just met her-_he'd seen the bond they shared. A black mage didn't cherish bonds. He broke them. Tore them into pieces. Naruto wasn't like that. He'd seen the boy with Laki over the weeks, watched, as the two of them slowly nurtured a bond of their own. He couldn't bring him self to guess the nature of their relationship; was it physical or purely platonic? Quite frankly, he didn't want to know.

Maybe it _was _time he retired. Let the youngsters take the reins. His life would be better spent in retirment with his son. Better spent than spending his twilight years holding a guild together. A guild that was clearly moving on without him. And pontentially back to the old guild building. That made him smile. He missed the Tenrou Island Team more than anyone else, but with Naruto, Fairy Tail finally had a fighting chance for the first time in Seven Years. They might even be able to enter _that_ competition...

_"Oiiiiiiiiiii!"_

Macao's reverie was interrupted by the sound of splintering wood. The doors burst inward, pushed backwards by a powerful kick. Everyone rounded on the sound as s familar group of mages stormed through the doors. They weren't from Fairy Tail; much to Macao's dismay. They were from Twilight Ogre.

"There are a lot fewer people here today." Teebo sneered. "Rather than a guild, what is this? Some kind of friendship club? Say, where's Leviathan?" He stole a furtive glance around the guild. "Not here? Good." If anything, his sickening grin only grew. "Then there shouldn't be any problems."

Macao's heart froze with dread.

"Teebo!" Wakaba frowned, "Payment's due next month, isn't it? Why are you here?"

"Our master, well you see...he said that simply won't do." Teebo offered a nonchalant shrug, clearly enjoying himself. "It's a problem if payments are not made on schedule. If master's said it, it can't be helped...

"We don't have any money to pay to you guys." Romeo slammed his book shut and stood up from the table. "Why don't you just go away?"

"Stop it, Romeo!" Macao hissed.

"What's with that shitty attitude, you brat?" Teebo snarled.

"To have been tamed by punks like these...you're all cowards!" Romeo summoned a fireball to the center of his palm. "I don't care if Naruto isn't here right now! I'm going to fight! If things keep up like this Fairy Tail's name will be worthless!"

Teebo blew out a breath and the flame guttered out harmlessly. As Romeo looked on in horror, the man undshouldered his club.

"That name became worthless a long time ago, no?" He grinned, bringing it to bear on the boy. "It doesn't matter. Even with Leviathan...

"Stop!"

_"You guys will never be above us as long as you live!"_

_**"Is that so?"**_

Unbeknownst to Twilight Ogre, they'd accidentally left the door open. So intent were they on tormenting Fairy Tail that they'd also failed to notice a brooding blond creeping up behind them. He cradled a giant spiraling sphere in one hand, and steadily stalked closer. _Closer._ Closer still. By the time Teebo finally noticed the whirling energies, it was already too late. Much too late. The ogre came about, smashing his mace against the arm of the intruder...

...only to have it shatter harmlessly against the swirling vortex.

_"CHOU ODAMA RASENGAN!"_

Naruto brought his hand down.

_Hard._

Teebo flipped backwards, blood spurting between his lips as the spiraling sphere tore through his stomach. But Naruto wasn't finished. With a rustling of cloth he disappeared, only to reappear in the man's perpipheal vision. All Teebo saw was heavenward kick careening toward his face. The heel drop split his lip and splintered his nose; the cartilege breaking beneath the powerful blow as he careened into the floor with an earsplitting crack.

"Teebo-san!"

Before his comrades could respond they each met a similar fate. One was frozen solid. Another was thumped by an iron rod. Still another found himself missing all his teeth as a hilt shattered his face. One by one they toppled to the floor, broken battered and beaten. Macao gawped at the sudden destruction. Standing behind the fallen mages, an even larger group of wizards stood. Macao recognized them, but even so he failed to understand his eyes; because they were telling him lies!_ Lies!_ These guys couldn't...they couldn't possibly be...

"Che, I leave for one day and look what happens!" Naruto sighed, running a hand through his sodden hair, the blond mess perfecting itself at the touch of hins fingertips. "You don't deserve to be called mages, not a one of you!" He delivered a swift kick to Teebo's gut, sending the man hurtling across the room. "Get out! I never want to see you and your crew in my guild ever again, you bunch of bastards!"

_"Teme!"_ A pink-haired man scowled, butting heads with the blond. "That's my line!"

"Oho?" Naruto grinned dangerously. "And who says I have to listen to you, _Natsu?"_

"Bastard! You wanna go?"

"Bring it!"

"Natsu-san! Naruto-san!" Protested a well endowed woman, with blue hair; wearing a dress that was terribly familar, "Please stop fighting!" She would have continued had not an armored woman with scarlet hair intevened and shoved the two apart. The Heart Kreuz symbol emblazoned there upon her breastplate for all eyes to see; straining against a pair of overly large breasts.

"That's enough, both of you!" She glared daggers at the pair, and when the pinkette seemed contrite, only _then_ did the fire dim from her brown eyes. "I must apologize for his crude behavior, Naruto-dono. It is my fault entirely for not instructing him better. Please, hit me!"

Naruto flushed.

"Well, there's no need to go that far...

They hadn't changed a bit.

They were just...older. Seven years older to be exact. Each and every one of them, save the exceeds, who really didn't look all that different. Macao felt the tears coming even as he looked on; even as the members of his guild resumed their antics. Despite their changed appearances their personalities hadn't been altered in the slightest. The women had become even more beautiful, if such a thing were possible. The men, more handsome. To go beyond that would be like trying to describe the difference between the earth and the sky; too astronomical for him to even begin.

Ultimately, Romeo beat him to it.

_"Natsu-nii...everyone...welcome home!_

* * *

_(Hours later)_

Hours of reveling later left any sort of explantion in shambles. Immediately upon everyone's return, the entire guild proceded to throw a party, the likes of which hadn't been seen in seven whole years of emptiness. Naruto couldn't help but lose himself in it. He had as much reason to celebrate as anyone and Haku with him. Mavis Vermillion! He'd not have believed it if he hadn't seen it with his own eyes.

Apparently she'd sealed Tenrou Island in an ancient magic known as Fairy Sphere, moments before Acnologia's attack. Ensconced within its embrace, the Tenrou Island team would not have aged, but for one thing. Narut had been the first to set food on the island. It had nothing to do with his status as a Dragonslayer within this realm. Rather, he had triggered something due to trace signatures of a certain kitsune in his system.

Damned bastard fox! It was years dead and still causing him problems! Thanks to that, the anti-aging proccess had been effectively negated, adding seven years to the team from the moment he'd set foot on the island. It shouldn't have mattered, had he not been the first to arrive. But because he had; because he'd been in such a hurry to arrive, his prescence effectively sealed their fates.

Well, that was what he got for mixing his space-time ninjutsu with ancient sealing magic.

Mavis went on to remind them of the power their bonds held; how her Fairy Tail had become a wonderful guild since she'd founded it. After taking Naruto aside she'd also held another surprise for him. The secret to reversing Haku's curse. She'd left him the words; he could undo the magic binding Haku to exceed form with but a word. The only reason he hadn't was for fear of what might happen should he invoke them. Without a body to house it, would Haku's soul remain in this world? Or would she descend to the depths of the netherworld?

Naruto didn't relish the prospect of losing another friend. Not after all they'd been through together. So he kept the knowledge to himself, knowing that if Haku ever learned of it, she might be undone. Should she learn of it, she'd want to be free of this form immediately. She wouldn't care about the risk. Only the reward. Naruto knew this and feared it and so kept his silence. He'd tell her when the time was right. When the proper failsafe was in place. Until then, he dared not speak of it.

_'Gah, I'm thinking too much..._

Naruto scratched his chin and shook the back of his head.

_This _was none of his business.

Then he noticed Wendy. She wast standing off in the corner, clutching a pice of paper in her hands. Beside her sat Reedus, utterly oblivious to the tremulous girl trying to find some meaning in the piece of parchment he'd given her. As Naruto drew closer he heard Wendy mumbling one line to herself, over and over and over...she tried

"The breasts...

_'Huh?'_

"What's the matter, Wendy?" Naruto asked, noting the girl's trembling.

"I...even though I got bigger, I didn't get "bigger" in this picture did I?" she mumbled to herself, still not noticing him.

Naruto tapped her on the shoulder.

_"Meep!"_

"May I see that?"

"A-Ano...I really don't think-

"Let me see it, Wendy."

Wendy showed him the picture.

Naruto nearly fell over.

"R-Reedus!" He exclaimed loudly, "What the hell is this! It doesn't look a thing like Wendy!" He shoved the sketch at the artist as though it were the most hideous thing in the world. "Why did you draw this! I demand an answer!" He felt his cheeks burn as he waved the thing in front of his face, equally aware of Wendy's own consternation. "Would I ever draw this, I think not!"

"Oui, I drew how _I_ pictured Wendy to have grown after seven years," The artist tried to explain, glancing every so subtly at Wendy's cleavage. "I wasn't expecting her to...well I wasn't expecting her to..." he made a gesturing motion with his hands, one which the blond considered unacceptable and that tore it.

Naruto's killer intent became palpable.

"To...what, Reedus_-san?" _the former jinchuuriki asked pleasantly, the way in which he stressed the formality causing the artist to gulp."Does...this...look like Wendy to you?" he pointed at the picture, then back to Wendy, still smiling. "Really? Does it? I don't think so." He crumpled the sketch into a ball and shucked it over his shoulder. "Now, I'd like you to apologize to Wendy-chan."

Reedus grew pale.

"G-Gomen...Wendy."

"Oh, and one more thing, Reedus-san." Naruto added.

"Oui?"

_"Draw another one, damnit!"_

"Oui!"

Thus began what soon prove to be a very long month in Fairy Tail.

A month that would soon be spent in preparation for the Grand Magic Tournament.

**A/N: Hope ya'll enjoyed it! Now, here is a preview! A much deserved preview! Of what we shall see in the upcoming chapters!**

* * *

_"Come with me, Wendy."_

_"Nani?"_

_Naruto was already advancing, leaving her to follow in his wake._

_"Where are we going, Naruto-san?"_

_"We're going to take this month and make you strong." Naruto answered. "There's no time for fun and games. It will be just you and I."_

_Wendy blushed._

_"Naruto-san doesn't have to if he doesn't want to..._

_"I do." He thumped a fist against his chest._

_"B-But..._

_"I'll make you strong." he avowed. "Stronger than Sting Eucliffe. Stronger than Rogue Cheney. Stroner than me. I'll make you the strongest. The strongest dragonslayer in the world, Wendy Marvell."_

* * *

_(One Month later)_

_"Are you sure we can do this...?"_

_"Didn't those three weeks teach you anything?" Naruto scoffed aloud. "If anything, we've over-prepared."_

_Wendy blushed._

_"But..._

_"But we've got three dragon slayers now." Naruto pointed out with a grin. "And after all our training, we're unbeatable!" Wendy felt her cheeks burn anew. The memory of her training still gave her cause to blush. Unlike the others, she and Naruto had trained seperately from the Tenroujima group. Naruto had relentlessly pounded Grandine's Dragon Slayer magic into her within the first week, leaving three weeks for his own, personal training regiment._

_Ultear's improved Arc of Time simply heightened their already strengthened abilities, pushing the pair past their limits toward a never before seen level of magical power. They were, without a doubt, Fairy Tail's strongest pair, also known as Cyclone. And she had Naruto to thank for it. Water and wind made for an unstoppable and inseperable combo, and most of the magical world knew this for a fact. What they did not know, however, was that each dragon slayer had become massively powerful in their own right. With, or without combination magic, they were a devastatingly dynamic duo._

_"Naruto-dono's plenty strong already..._

_Naruto laughed._

_"Don't seel yourself short! You're plenty strong yourself!"_

_His previous inattention vanished as he caught sight of something within his peripheal vision. A small blur of black streaked towards them, its jaws gaping and its arms spread as if to embrace them. A wicked aura emanated from this creature as it honed in on them, aiming not for him, as he'd expected, but rather for-_

_Naruto snarled._

_'The fuck you don't!'_

_He burst forward, his fingers closing around the strange little creature before its jaws could close around its unsuspecting prey. He gave its spindly neck a viscious squeeze as he wrenched it from the air and into the earth Alerted by the sudden impact and killing intent, Wendy spun around. Her eyes widened as they locked upon the wriggling imp; only to narrow in relief as they beheld the one restraining it._

_"Naruto-dono!"_

_"Wendy, how many times do I have to tell you not to call me that?" Rumbled the dragonslayer, never once taking his eyes from his prey "As I've told you before, 'Naruto-kun' will do just fine."_

_Her cheeks darkened._

_"Na-Naruto-kun..._

_"Better." The corners of his lips uplifted in a small smile._

_"Oho?" He growled, his fingers tightening into a vice around its neck. "What do we have here? A runt that hasn't learned its place? A rat, scurrying about in the shadows? Or perhaps," He tore back the small cape the creature wore and grinned darkly at what he found there. "A raven, wandering in the dark." Wendy froze. A guild insignia. But she knew this mark. It was the mark of the raven, of Raven Tail._

_"Speak!" Naruto roared! "Why did you attack Wendy!"_

_Much to Naruto's ire, the imp's grin went wider if possible. Clearly, it wasn't going to divulge any information. Too bad. After seeing Wendy nearly lose her life-and most of her magical power-he wasn't feeling particularly merciful at the moment. Even now he could feel the creature trying to leech off his own powers as well. He could sense its dismay as it failed to absorb so much as a drop of anything_

_"Well if you aren't going to talk...then I have no use for you."_

_Naruto twisted his hand sharply, producing a sickening crack._

* * *

**R&R! =D**


	6. Tutelage

**A/N: YO! The manga has officially become interesting again! Although I am PISSED that Raven Tail won the match by cheating, at least we got to see Lucy use the Uranometeora! Which was awsum! That being said, I figured it was time for an update! Prepare for fluffiness and epicness in this chapter! It may lack some of the action of the others, but it is by no means less awesome!**

_Bonds are precious...moreso than anything else._

_~Wendy._

**Tutelage (Part I)**

Wendy Marvell was baffled.

Hopelessly so.

Naruto-dono was...strong.

Horrifically so.

_Very strong._

Incredibly so.

She'd witnessed the dragon slayer's superior strength only hours ago. Yet another reason to _never_ allow Naruto-dono to drink. EVER. The guild might in shambles had not the great Gildarts Clive intervened during the blonde's drunken rampage. And even then, his victory had been a close one; when faced with the twin elements of water and ice. It had been terrifying, their clash, and there was only one mage to be blamed for it starting in the first place.

_Natsu Dragneel._

After much celebration, Natsu made the misake of challenging his fellow dragonslayer to a match, eager to test his skills after seven hard-won years. At first, Wendy had been excited. She'd be able to see Naruto in action. She'd be able to see the element of water, so unlike her own. Naruto had mercilessly beat the boy-turned-man within an inch of his life; chastising him for his lack of his experience, and that excitment promptly turned to dismay.

Even with his new Lightning Fire mode, Natsu had been overpowered.

Ruthlessly so.

Gajeel Redfox mocked Naruto for overestimating his own abilities, irking the third generation dragon slayer even further. Apparently he too, was displeased by the prospect of adding a fifth dragon slayer to their ranks. Naruto won that bought as well. Gray Fullbust, not one to be outdone by his fellow mages, made the mistake of challenging Naruto; only to meet a swift defeat at the hands of the dragon slayer, proving once again, the seven-year-gap between them.

Naruto was in a whole nother league. That was to be expected. He was a third generation dragon slayer after all. Still, to trounce Natsu-san so soundly bespoke of power, of a _terrible power_ the kind of power that rivalled even that of Gildarts. Naruto was truly an SS-Class mage, in power, it not official rank. The rest of Fairy Tail, however, excluding Laxus and Naruto and of course, Gildarts himself, severely lacked that kind of power. Even Erza-san and Mirajane-san, each S-Class mages in their own right, were likely weak when compared to these three titans.

And then there was Master Makarov.

If those three were titans, then Makarov Dreyar was a god. Rather fitting, considering his magic. But that was neither here nor now. Here, now, Wendy Marvell was struggling to contemplate what she ought to do. Should she stay? Or should she go? How had this choice come about? She thought back on it, struggling to remember where it all began and where everything spiralled out of control...

_Aha!_

It all started with Porlyuscia!

Having gone to Porlyusica-san for a solution to their lack of magical power, they'd met a dead end, of sorts. The woman turned them away; claiming as always, how she hated humans. But not Naruto. She hadn't beaten _him_ with the broom. Quite the contrary. She'd invited him inside her home. That hadn't gone over well with Natsu _at all,_ sending a wave of superheated flame at the blonde's back, which in turn, resulted in his second trouncing at the hands of the Leviathan of Fairy Tail...

_(Flashback)_

_"Why do they get to go in!" Natsu protested at Porlyuscia. _

_"I thought it was obvious." The pinkette stated. _

_"Because she's not human/Because he's a monster." Naruto and Haku pointed at each other in the same breath, causing everyone save the medic to deadpan. Clearly, Haku was not human, but Naruto? A monster? __Gray and Lucy sweatdropped, each recalling their own version of merciless beating Natsu had received. Maybe the term "monster" wasn't such a stretch after all..._

_"I think we can agree on that..._

_Naruto shrugged, turning his back on the boy._

_"This isn't really something to argue about-_

_"Karyu no Hoko!"_

_A great gout of flame exploded against the blonde's back, subsuquently staggering him. That was all. Naruto's back steamed from the impact the thin shield of ice he'd erected slowy dissipating into steam. There wasn't so much as a scratch. Natsu turned pale, the life leaching from his features._

_"Seriously!"_

_"Na-tsu..._

_Naruto held out his palm and growled._

_"RASENGAN!"_

_(End Flashback)_

Aaaaaaaand that was that.

Finally, after much ado about nothing, Wendy received a gift from Grandine. Given to her by Porlyusica in the form of two spells; Milky Way and Shining Air Wave Drill. What a gift it was! _Finally_ something concrete by which to remember her mother! Wendy hugged the pages the entire way home, giggling softly to herself all the while. Never had she been so happy as she was now!

Now, having thanked Porlyuscia-san and returned to the guild, Wendy had received the shock of her life. Wait that wasn't quite right. The shock of her life had been waking up to find herself trapped in the body of a young woman. This shock couldn't possibly compare to _that,_ but it did pull in a close second.

_The Grand Magic Games._

They would be entering, in order to reclaim their place as Fairy Tail's strongest guild. Yes, they had the old guild building back. Yes, they'd been able to recover some of their standing_-thanks in part to Naruto's efforts-_but they were still leagues behind the other guilds; Tenma and Lamia Scale and Sabretooth. In the eyes of the world Fairy Tail had fallen, and this was the only way to swiftly reclaim their status as the number one guild in Fiorre.

There was also the 30,000,000 jewel prize as an incentive.

With that money, Fairy Tail would be able to reclaim all the resources they'd lost. Easily. Effortlessly. Then came her third shock of the day. She noticed Naruto, standing off in the corner with Master Makarov. The blond was clutching a letter in one hand and a necklace in the other, and his entire body trembling. He looked as though he'd had a close encoutner of the ghostly kind. Taking care not to be seen-not easy considering her new body-Wendy eavesdropped on their conversation:

"You can't be serious...can you?" Naruto asked. It was more a small, doomed wish than a question. He gawped, reading the letter in his hands yet again. "I can't possibly be a candidate for this...

"Why not?" Makarov grinned. "Gildarts refused and _I'm_ getting too old for this, and _you've_ done well to keep the guild afloat in my abscence...

"I was just doing my duty," Naruto insisted. "Really! This is too much...

"There's no need to be shy!"

"I...I cannot accept this!" Naruto slammed both hands down on the table, glaring bloody red daggers at Makarov. "I can't be Fairy Tail's seventh master!" Wendy felt her heart drop into her stomach. They wanted Naruto to take over as Master? They wanted him to run the guild? Her heart sank to her toes. He was going to leave her, then. She'd only known him for a few days now, and it wasn't as if he was going anywhere, and yet...she wanted to cry.

"I won't." Naruto repeated, his words little more than a growl. "I can't."

**!**

"And why is that?"

"If I become master, then I'll be unable to participate in the tournament." Naruto answered, regaining his composure. "Besides..._Master_...I'm not worthy of this honor. I never was. I probably won't be for quite some time." He shook his head. "Sorry, but I have to refuse." Rising from the table, he took the necklace and handed it back to Makarov. It was over in an instant, and for a moment, just a moment, Naruto seemed sad, Wendy thought.

"So you're refusing, eh?" A twinkle shone in the old man's eye. "Or is it because of _her?"_ Now, Wendy wasn't stupid. Naieve, perhaps. But stupid? Not in the slightest. She felt her cheeks darken, burning rose red as she understood the immediate meaning behind the master's words.

Naruto, red in the face, said no!

"Are you sure?" Makarov chuckled. "She's quite the looker now...

Wendy squeaked; because Naruto had snarled:

"Watch it, _jiji!"_

"Be that as it may, what do you plan to do with the next three months?" Makarov asked, seriously. "Surely you don't intend to sit around and twiddle your thumbs while those youngsters surpass you." Naruto blinked at that. He whisked a hand through his hair, the blond mess perfecting itself at the touch of his fingertips. His smile had returned. He grinned, a gorgeous streak of white in the darkness.

"Three months." Naruto murmurred softly. "I see...

"So?" Makarov asked. "What do you plan to do?"

Naruto grinned even winder.

"I'm going to make _her_ strong."

Makarov laughed; it was a deep, mirthful sound.

"You really are hung up on her aren't you?"

Naruto flushed, scratching at his cheek with a forefinger.

"I don't...dislike her...

Wendy watched their exchange with watery eyes. No. Naruto was giving up the chance to be Master for her? For someone like her? To make her stronger? _Her?_ Honestly. She didn't know whether to laugh or to cry. Eventually she settled on the latter. Forcing her feet to move, Wendy walked, stiffly out the door. _Stupid._ She was so stupid! She didn't deserve such kindness. She didn't! The chance to be Master was a once in a lifetime opportunity. A chance like that only came along once in a lifetime! And Naruto, had turned it down!

He'd turned it down because of her!

Wendy sat on the stoop and buried her face in her hands. Eyes stinging, she began to weep. Why couldn't she remember him? Why couldn't she remember this wonderful perso, who was so willing to sacrifice his own glory for her sake? Why? It hurt too much to even think about it. _Remember!_ She screamed at herself _Remember!_ Her head throbbed and her heart beat at a crazy rhythm.

She remembered...rain. Rain; soft and gentle, sheltering her sorrow. She remembered her eyes; stinging, just as they stung now. Had she been crying back then, just as she was now? _Just a little more,_ she thought at her mind. _Just a little, tiny bit more..._

A hand settled upon her shoulder, driving the memories away. For a moment, Wendy nearly despaired. She rounded on them with a cry of surprise and frustration. Swooning, she struggled to drive them away, and nearly lost her balance. Someone caught her hands and forced them down to her sides. Blinking away the tears, Wendy froze. Her eyes flew wide open. She felt her heart, pounding in her chest, threatening to burst at any moment.

_So close._

"Come with me, Wendy." Naruto loomed over her, his expression stoic, his eyes stern. Whatever hurtful words she'd meant to say fell from her lips, leaving her mute. Wendy couldn't speak. She couldn't breathe. Her hands quivered at her side as he released her wrists. She trembled. Whether from fear or surprise or...something else, she couldn't be quite sure. She couldn't interperet the signals sent by her childlike brain, transmitted the body of a young woman. She knew one thing however. This was Naruto. And he was too...too...too...

_Too close!_

But Naruto was already advancing, leaving her to follow in his wake; the warmth on her shoulder already fading away. Wendy scrambled after him, her knees scraping against the concrete steps in her haste to follow him. She hoped he would mistake the flush in her cheeks as exhaustion, and not the ruby red blush it truly was.

"Where are we going, Naruto-san?"

"We're going to take these next three months and make you strong." Naruto answered, increasing his pace, leading her into town. "There will be no time for fun and games. It will be just you and I." He turned into the doorway of a shop and returned seconds thereafter, arms laden with supplies and already stuffing them into his pack. Tossing jewels onto the counter he immediately proceeded onward, forcing her to follow.

"W-When are we leaving?" she asked, unable to bring herself to refuse.

"Tonight." Naruto answered, stopping at another shop and repeating the proccess, this time with a smaller pack, which Wendy assumed to be her own. He tossed it at her and she caught at it with fumbling fingers before slinging it over her shoulder. _Heavy!_ She winced as the straps bit into her shoulders, threatening to tear off at any moment. What did he have in here? Lead lacrima?

Almost before she knew it, he was leading her back to the guild. Wendy blinked at that. It was still afternoon, so what was he planning? He'd said they'd leave tonight so what did he intend to do while it was still daylight? What did he intend...to...do...

Wendy blushed as his words caught up to her.

Just the two of them.

Alone.

_Together._

_'W-W-Why am I thinking like that!' She_ sputtered softly, tenting her fingers. _'And...why...do I feel so warm..._

"We'll meet here at midnight." Naruto announced, gazing up at the guild. "Are you prepared, Wendy?"

Wendy blushed, a faint, eager red.

"Naruto-san doesn't have to if he doesn't want to...

"I do." He thumped a fist against his chest. "And I will."

"B-But...

"I'll make you strong." he vowed. "Stronger than Sting Eucliffe. Stronger than Rogue Cheney. Stronger than me. I'll make you the strongest. The strongest dragonslayer in all of Fiore. In all the world, Wendy Marvell." Before she could protest he rounded on her; he reached out, to take her hands in his own. They fit perfectly together. There, as they stood back at the steps of the guild, Wendy couldn't find the words to explain how wonderful this felt.

_"What are you two doing?"_

Wendy jerked backward as if she'd been _burned._

She turned, her eyes flying wide.

Erza Scarlet was suddenly before them, her brown eyes narrowed in expectation. And Haku was perched upon her shoulder. Wendy had no way of knowing if they, armored mage and the exceed had eavesdropped on their discussion, and prayed it was not the case. She daren't look at Haku; because she could feel the exceed's eyes, boring into her back.

"Is there a problem?" Naruto interjected, "Erza-san?"

"I've already decided to hold a training camp by the sea." Erza reminded the two of them. "Won't you be joining us, Naruto-dono?"

"Won't you?" Haku's words were like ice, directed solely at her partner.

There was a silence.

_"..."_

Wendy didn't know why, but suddenly she had the strong urge to see Naruto in a bathing suit. The duality of it had yet to occur to her. Not yet. Wendy didn't realize that she too, would be wearing a swimsuit, nor did she know that _this_ was the reason for Naruto's sudden silence. And if Wendy had looked closer, she might have noticed his blush; a scalding shade of scarlet. She also might have noticed the tightness of Haku's expression as the cat reclaimed her precious perch upon his shoulder. But Wendy did not notice, causing her to wonder at the small amount of killer intent-and where it was coming from-as she turned her gaze back to Naruto.

"Can't we go?" Wendy pleaded, secretly longing to see the sea_-and him in trunks-_with her own eyes. "Pleeeaaaaaase, Naruto-san?"

_...fine." _Naruto relented. "But if you think for a second that I'll go easy on you because we're at the beach...

Wendy's smile shone like the sun.

_"Hai!"_

**A/N: Training camp at the sea starts next chappy! And as a note and a warning for those of you who expect it, Naruto and Wendy will NOT be dragged to the realm of the Celestial Spirits with Natsu and the gang. As mentioned early, Wendy will receive Naruto's "personal" training and later have her magic capacity increased by Ultear. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chappy and all the effort I put into it!**

**Prepare for hilarity next chappy!**

**R&R! =D**


	7. Tutelage II

**A/N: Ahahaha! And the story continues! I've been away for awhile playing Mass Effect 3, so I've been off the grid for awhile! But now I'm back, and better than ever, as you'll soon see. Also...WTF is with the new filler arc! I'm so dumbfounded by the recent developments that I'm not even going to include it in this story though one character MAY make a stray appearance here and there...**

**Also, as a side note, I've changed the title. When Heaven Wept sounds so much better than And Heaven Wept, wouldn't you agree?**

_"He's important to me...because to him...I'm more than a tool."_

_~Haku._

**Tutelage II**

And thus, their training camp by the sea began in earnest.

In more ways than one.

Naruto felt his right eye twitch in annoyance as Natsu and Gray blew past him, shouting their exuberance about the beach. His first instinct was to shout them down; to tell them they weren't here to play, but to train. He bit back the words at the last instant. Well...it was only the first day. That was fine, right? Let them get it out of their systems. Besides he had more important matters on his mind. Such as what he planned to do with Wendy, how to conduct her training regiment...

"You're sulking."

The blond blinked as a small weight settled on his shoulder.

"H-Haku!"

Naruto nearly snorted when he saw what the exceed was wearing. Like Charlotte, the exceed had taken to wearing a frilly two-piece bathing suit, a yellow polkadot bikini, one that strongly reminded him of a certain song. No good. He couldn't bring himself to look her in the eye now; to tell her he held the words to her release. He just couldn't. What would happen to him if she disappeared? What would he do, without his best friend? What would he say? What _could_ he say?

Haku must've noticed something; because her fury face pulled down into a frown.

"Are you alright?"

"It's nothing." He waved her concerns aside. "Besides, I'm fine here. Just go chill with Happy and Charlette or something."

Haku grinned a wicked grin.

"_Chill,_ hmm?"

"No." Naruto answered, glowering at his partner sternly. "Absolutely not. Under no circumstances are you to freeze either of them." Haku pouted a moment before taking off, spreading her wings and taking to the sky with all the grace of an angel. An angel who just so happened to be an exceed. Naruto watched her go, silently resolving to tell her the truth, the words, one day. Someday. Just...not today.

Someone splashed water in his face.

Naruto gave a small tsk of remembrance.

"Oi oi oi, we're here to train, right guys?" When no one answered, he sighed. "But...I suppose a little R&R couldn't possibly hurt. Just for today!"

Famous last words.

Scarce had he said this than he found himself doused in a deluge of seawater. Picking the seaweed out of his hair, the blond grinned darkly. _So...that's how they're gonna play eh?_ With a flick of his hand he returned fire in kind, sweeping the water from the seabed, dousing Natsu and Gray in a sea of water and sand. He didn't even bother to use his magic. His strength alone was more enough to douse their burning spirits.

Or not.

"Oi, teme!" Natsu hollered as he dragged himself back to the surface. "Why'd you attack us!"

"What the hell was that for!" Gray seconded, only to glare icy daggers at Natsu upon realizing they'd actually agreed on something.

"You know damn well what it was for!" Naruto bellowed back, fists glowing, hurling another geyser of liquid in their direction. Natsu and Gray gawped, unable to believe their eyes nor their ears, as a torrent of water came crashing down on their heads. Sweeping everything, and everyone, away, in his signature technique.

"Suiryu no Assaiken!"** (Water dragon's crushing fist)**

Only Naruto, the exceed, and one other had the wherewithall-or just dumb luck-to remain dry during the deluge.

_(With Wendy)_

Utterly oblivious to the chaos taking place behind her, Wendy Marvell pored over the documents she'd been given. Her hair bound backin a ponytail, she adjusted her glasses once more and struggled to comprehend what she'd been given. At first, she'd been elated. Here was a piece of her mother, a piece of Grandine! The longer she looked at the documents however, the more she became certain of one thing and one thing only. They made absolutely no sense at all! She failed to understand even the most rudimentary of syllables.

"Um...this...how should this be read?" she wondered aloud.

How should it be read indeed?

"Problem?"

_"Eeep!"_

Wendy squeaked as Naruto's head settled on her shoulder, as the warmth of his body pressed up against her back. He was bare-chested, clad in little more than a simple pair of orange swimming trunks, and she...she was wearing a bikini! Once, she wouldn't have thought anything of it. Now...now, she, had a body! Her mind was still that of a little girl, but her body...gah! This was so confusing! She was still struggling to accept that they'd aged seven years without knowing it, and for all intensive purposes, she seemed to be the only one struggling with the concept.

Levy and Lucy certainly hadn't changed any. And Erza...

Erza certainly wouldn't have shrank back from him the way Wendy did. She instinctively clutched the text to her chest, as though by letting him look at it she might somehow give something away and at the same time hating herself for it; in her ineptitude, afraid to offend him. In the end, she needn't have bothered.

"Having trouble reading it?" Naruto asked, indicating the text with one hand.

"Ano...hai." she aqueisced with a bow of the head.

"Hmmm...

His blue eyes were fixated, not on her, but upon the text given to her by Poryluscia. Thank goodness. She didn't know if she could look him in the eye when he was this close. She just might...might_...might what? _Struggling against these thoughts she didn't understand, Wendy returned her attention to the text in her hand. Contained within, were a series of unimaginably powerful spells. Unfortunately, Grandine's magical text had proven all but impossible to translate thus far.

"It's simple." Naruto said suddenly, reaching across her, his fingers brushing hers as he took the sacred text from her. "I can read it for you, if you'd like."

Wendy blushed a faint, eager red.

"Y-You don't have to, I could always ask Levy-san...

"Nonsense!" Naruto shook his head and sank to the ground, pulling her with him and into his lap, as he sat down. Wendy nearly squealed, such was his surprise. But, his attention was not focused upon her; it was focused solely upon the text. His irises flickered and became slitted for a moment, a series of low growls leaving his lips as he mouthed the words aloud and then spoke them to the sky. Wendy froze, her embarassment forgotten in the wake of this revelation. This language! She'd heard it before! And that was only because a fragment of the language was spoken to her once before.

_**"And so the ancients decried...**_

Naruto was _speaking_ dragon tongue. Speaking it! Aloud! Here! The words flowed flawlessly from his lips, pouring across his tongue in an ancient language not spoken since the dawn of time. What little Wendy knew came only from Grandie; because humans had long since detroyed any and all physical remnants of the forgotten tongue. Tomes had been torched, libraries burned, entire villages razed, all in order to prevent the resurgene of the forgotten lore, or so Grandine had claimed.

Now Uzumaki Naruto spoke their words, the words of her mother, and Wendy felt her heart lurch. A tear came to her eye and before she could snatch it away, before it could dash itself upon the sands below, his finger was there, catching the droplet beore it fell. She felt his fingers_-albeit briefly-_fall upon her cheek in kind,cradling her face even as she struggled with the maelstrom of feelings warring within her breast. In the end, she settled for a broken-sounding:

"How did you...

"That," Naruto remarked sagely, "is a secret."

"Do what?" Naruto blinked.

"Ah, so this is where you where hiding!"

Naruto and Wendy turned as one as a shadow fell over them. Erza and Levy loomed over them, each clad in their own swimwear, each, wearing a wide, all-knowing grin. For a moment there was silence. A dreadful pall of absolute nothingness as one pair sweatdropped and the other looked on, unabashed. Then:

_"Meep!"_

Wendy jerked back as if she'd been _burned._ So ensorcelled had she been in the moment, she'd failed to remember; failed to notice that she lay in Naruto's lap. With a cry that could wake the dead she bolted upright, cheeks flaming, struggling to distance herself from the duo.

"I...um...we...y-you see...

"I was wondering what you two were up to," Levy stifled her laughter with a hand. "To think Wendy-chan and Naruto-kun would sneak off like this...

"W-W-W-We weren't doing anything like that!"

"There's nothing wrong with a little bonding." Erza observed.

"That's not what we were doing!"

Naruto, for the most part, took it in stride.

"You're more than welcome to join us, ladies." he offered casually, letting their imaginations' do the work for him.

Levy's face turned the same shade as Wendy's. To her credit, Erza's response was less visible, but still startled all the same. Both, sputtered their surprise at the blonde's offer and _both_ were just as swift to offer an explanation as to why they suddenly had business elsewhere. Now. _Right now!_ Naruto nearly laughed at their haste nearly gave it away but managed to feign nonchalance as when the pair offered their lame their sudden and hasty departure.

"Another time, then. Now, let's get back to-

He turned his attention back to Wendy, only to find her red as a beet, sprawled across the sands.

-maybe I overdid it a little?"

* * *

_(Later that night)_

The day had ended_-finally!-_and everyone was taking a much needed break in the hots springs. At least the girls were. The boys, however, were far too busy trying to sneak a peak at the girls to truly enjoy the hot springs. They paid absolutely no need to the fact that one of them was missing. Had been missing for quite some time now. Ah, but the pleasures of the flesh-of peeking!-were too much for them to resist, and in the end, as most men do, they succumbed.

"Let's have a look, shall we?" Natsu grinned evilly as he crept alongside the bamboo wall separating the two baths. Behind him followed Gray, and alongside him, Jet and Droy were slow to bring up the rear. Although Levy was really the only one those two wanted to see...

"Ahh...well...its a promise after all."

"That's not fair Natsu! Don't go ahead of us!"

"Ughh...I ate too much..."

Slowly, they crept across the wall, certain they wouldn't be seen. There was no way they'd be noticed. Absolutely not. There was just no way anyone would be able to sense it, them, or their magical power, before it was too late.

_"What the hell are you guys doing?"_

About that...

Everyone froze. Summoning forth his courage, Natsu Dragneel forced himself to turn, to see the one who had spoken. Imagine his surprise when he found his senpai standing there, clad, like them, in a bathing towel. The only difference being, his eyes were burning a deep, furious, crimson.

"Ahahhaha...nothing!"

"Yeah," Gray chuckled nervously. "Just, ah, nothing!"

"That's a whole lot of nothing." Naruto observed softly, folding his arms across his chest. "Care to explain?"

"W-We can explain!" Jet sputtered.

"Oh, I'm sure you can." The blond cracked his knuckles and sucked in a deep breath. "By all means...

"N-N-Now wait just an-_ack!"_

_**"Suiryo no hoko!"**_

That night, Natsu and co's screams could be heard across the beach. Many of the island's inhabitant's believed their unearthly wails to be those of shipwrecked spirits, come to torment the living and haunt the elderly. They had no way of knowing that it was actually the wrath of a third generation dragon slayer, exacted on a foolish guildmate and his foolish friends.

That night would later come to be known as the night of a thousand screams.

* * *

"You gave them quite the beating back there." A voice chimed behind him as he made his way-fully clothed, mind you!-from the hot springs. "Was that really neccessary?"

"They deserved it." A grimace of self castigation. "Perverts."

"You're one to talk."

Naruto didn't need to steal a glance over his shoulder to know who was speaking. Just as he had no need to guess what she was thinking. Because he already knew. He'd long since suspected, ever since Tenroujima, but it hadn't been until they'd come here that he truly knew. He knew, _that Haku knew._ She stepped to him, no longer a cat no longer an exceed, but a human once more. A woman. With the night had come freedom from her feline form, however fleeting.

"This is going to hurt, isn't it?" He asked aloud as he slowed to a stop, answering his own question immediately thereafter. "Pfft. Who am I kidding? A' course it is."

Someone slapped him.

_Hard._

Naruto turned with and lessened the force of the blow allowed himself to stagger backward. He came about and stared at his attacker. Haku stood before him in human form, naked as the day she was born. Her eyes, once soft pools of chestnut brown, were hardened with hate. When she struck him again her hand was coated with ice, the slender fingers like daggers. Warm blood splashed out across the sands, greedily lapped up by the moisture-starved soil.

Naruto didn't even bother to touch his nose, or his ruined cheek. The wounds would heal, given time. Haku would not. The former kunoichi advanced upon him now, uncaring for her lack of modesty, launching a full brace of frozen needles at his face. It was only with a gentle sweep of Naruto's wrist that they were deflected, dissolving hamlessly in the barrier of boiling water now permeating the air between them.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Haku demanded, hurt, hurt beyond words.

Naruto sighed.

"It wasn't mine to tell." He began.

He should have seen this coming. Of course she was angry. Of course she was jealous. Jealous of Raki. Jealous of Wendy. Jealous, of every woman who came in contact with him, every woman who wasn't confined to the form of a cat by day and only made a woman when the sun set. All that jealousy, had begun to boil, frothing over into outright envy.

"Haku, I can explain-

"I hate you!" The words struck at his soul, painfully so, but he ignored them. Rolling his eyes he followed her as she stormed toward the beach; careful to close the distance so she didn't try anything rash, but at the same time keeping his distance. Finally, when she reached the water he reached out. Strong hands seized her shoulders preventing her from advancing a single step further.

"Let me go." she trembled.

"You know I can't do that."

"You certainly seemed to be doing a fine job of it today." countered the kunoichi.

"That's not fair." Naruto shot back, irate. "I was just being friendly-

"Friendly my ass!" Haku rounded on her longtime friend, slapping his hands aside. "Just like you've been friendly with Raki? Just like you've been extra friendly with Wendy? I don't want to hear it!" She flung up her arms in exasperation. "If you don't want anything to do with me anymore then just come out and say it! Don't leave me dangling don't leave me hoping, don't...don't...leave...me...

Naruto scratched the back of his head. Sighed. Inhaled. Exhaled. Then, and only then, did he speak to her.

"Haku."

"What." she all but sobbed.

_"I love you."_

He hadn't meant to speak the words aloud, but there they were. The words of her release. Haku blinked, eyes growing large and wide. Her mouth hung open, she gawped like a fish out of water. A soft glow enveloped her features, subsuming her body in warmth. Naruto looked on, chewing his lip in a vain effort to distract himself. He'd loved Haku a time before, once. Perhaps he still did. But none of that mattered now. She was going to vanish, her soul deprived of the body that housed it. Without it, without a body, Haku wouldn't be able to live on as she had.

He closed his eyes and willed himself not to look. When at last the golden glow had faded, he willed himself to open them once more. He expected to find an empty void there before him, a stretch of open sea and sand. _Haku was still standing there._ The glow was gone and _she still stood there,_ her body wrapped now in a white dress. She blinked at him, her eyelids fluttering rapidly as she struggled to come to terms with what had just happened. Upon closer inspection he could tell that a change of attire was not all she'd gained. He could see them now, folded against her back, a wingspan inferior only to that of an angel. Apparently, Haku had kept the best parts of both her human and exceed forms.

"Well, this is unexpected." Naruto murmurred, at a loss for words.

So too was it when the kunoichi reached forward and seized a fistful of his jacket. Her lips were cold, clammy, and tasted of salty spray. When she finally let him breathe; that is, when she finally released him, her first words left him as cold as the element with which she affiliated herself.

"Take it back and I swear I'll kill you."

"P-Perish the thought." Naruto stammered. Why oh why did the words of release have to be that? Master Maviss must've had a sick sense of humor. If he'd known that Haku'd be able to stay, to exist, even without the body, he would've told her a long time ago. He _also_ would've done something about that infernal release phrase. Fearing for his own life, something he not often did, the third-generation dragony slayer contented himself to a small nod of affirmation.

"G-Good." Haku flushed, her moment of defiance gone. "If you promise not to take it back, if you really, reall meant it, then...I'm willing to share."

"Eh?"

Naruto blinked.

_"Eh?"_

"I said I'm willing to share!" Haku's face burned beneath the moonlight. "D-Don't make me say it again! Now, go!" She pushed him, her hands slapping against his chest. "You still have to train that bi-erm...you'r still going to help your friend, aren't you?" She smiled sweetly as though this somehow covered up the fact that she'd nearly called Wendy an outright bitch, despite her promise to share. She couldn't honestly mean...kami! He forcibly squelched a trickle of blood as it ran down his nose. He wasn't a pervert! No he wasn't! He wasn't like that at all! Well, maybe a little...

Aaaargh! For a long moment, Naruto cursed his sensei_-kami rest his soul-_for passing on his willy ways of wooing women.

_Sensei...what the hell have I gotten myself into this time?_

* * *

_(Even later that night)_

Wendy had no way of knowing why Naruto had summoned her to the beach in the middle of night. She knew only that he'd woken her, bade her to rise, and follow him to the beach. She'd questioned him on his wounds of course-why was the right side of his face covered in bandages?-but he'd refused to answer. Instead he'd led her here to a small clearing surrounded by torches, and bade her turn around.

"Naruto-dono, what's going on?"

"I said I'd train you." Naruto spoke to her back. "But first I want to be certain of something."

"W-What might that be?"

"Equip!" Naruto bellowed in answerment the words and the magic that came with them bathing his body an eerie glow. Wendy felt rather than saw; the baleful bluish black light that crept through the clearing, staining the shadows and the trees themselves with shadow. Strange. She hadn't been aware Nauto _could_ re-equip, let alone raise his magical power to such heights. She felt it peak seconds thereafter, the glow abating in the wake of whatever her sensei had donned.

"Turn around, Wendy." When Naruto spoke now, his voice held the faintest, tinniest, of echoes.

Her shoulders slumping, as if she'd consigned herself to whatever fate might hold in store, she obeyed. And what she saw there nearly took her breath away. Naruto was gone and in his place was something_...something else._

The figure looming before her came straight from the fairy tales Grandine read to her every night-one of the darker ones. Shorter than Elfman's beast form, he nonetheless loomed over her, filling the entirety of her vision. A demonic suit of armor concealed his body head-to-toe: midnight black steel, with thick plates of bone that gleamed unnaturally white in the orange glow of the torches.

From small spines of bone on his shoulders hung a heavy cloak of royal blue, a coincidental match to the lapping waters, just outside. The flickering torches sent his shadow dancing across the walls, as though guided by some mad puppeteer. Atop it all, a helm of bone, a skull bound in iron bands. Nothing human showed through the grim facade, no soul peered from the gaping black holes in the mask.

With a desperate surge of will, the young woman pulled her gaze away from the hideous mask, glancing downward instead. Her eyes fixed momentarily on the cord about his neck. It dipped down beneath the bone-covered-breasplate, linked perhaps to some pendant or amulet she couldn't see. Her eyes traveled lower still, to the large sword upon which his gauntlet rested. It stood upright, butt of the handle upon the ground. The blade, from its wrapped cloth, to its tapered tip, was adorned with miniscule engravings-abstract shapes that gave the impression, though not the detail, of thousands of dragons engaged in the cruelest, most brutal acts of war.

Wendy whimpered quietly as she saw that there were worst things to stare at than the blackened eye sockets of the helm. Things like that sword, and the dragons engraved upon it, dragons that seemed almost _to move on their own,_ independent from the dancing torchlight...

"W-Who...

"You know who I am, Wendy." This was not a question.

"I...

"It's me!" A black-and-bone gauntlet gestured abruptly; despite herself, Wendy jumped, a tiny yelp escaping her lips. But the demon merely reached for the mask, wresting away that grim visage to expose shaggy blond hair, blue eyes, and an equally dashing grin. Despite herself, Wendy breathed a sigh of relief.

"Naruto-dono, you scared me!" Then, puzzled, she asked: "You can use equip?"

"Of course I can!" The blond feigned a wounded a wounded expression. "Just because I'm not as fast as Titania everyone assumes she's the only one that can equip armor! Ah but I'm the only one who has something like this!" He thumped his chest with pride, oblivious to her confusion.

"Ano...its very...unique, but what exactly is it?"mage can wear

"This?" The blond blinked, gesturing to his grim attire. "Oh, its just a little something I picked up along the way." He grinned, a normal smile, not the rictus of fury presented to her by the eerie skull helm. "So, care to give it a try, Wendy?"

"Nani?"

"Why, you're training, of course!" he laughed, slapping a hand against the breastplate, "For starters, I want you to hit me with everything you've got! Until you've no more left in you! Understand?" He stabbed his blade into the earth between them and for not the first time, Wendy felt a touch of fear. It squeezed down upon her heart, threatening all that she loved until it burst.

"I can't!" She protested, her words rising to a wail. "You'll die!"

"That's what the armor is for." Naruto soothed, his tone almost seductive. "Trust me, at worst you'll leave a few bruises. Now, come on!" He beckoned, crooking his fingers as only a master would unto his apprentice, a vague bluish glow emanating from the armor, from him. Inexorably, it spread outward, engulfing the earth and the heavens. Whole trees bent and buckled beneath the sheer weight of this magic power, and Wendy was supposed to attack it! This was suicide! Apparently that was Naruto's intention; because his grin grew, even wider.

"Your training begins now!"

**A/N: And there you have it! The epicness continues! Hope ya'll got that teeny-weeny yellow polka dot bikini reference in there lolz! Also, I am seriously PISSED OFF at Sabertooth right now! What a bunch of assholes! Excommunicating Yukino-chan just because she lost! It pisses me off! I'm seriously starting to think Rogue is the only good guy amongst them! Anyways, we'll get to see the flower blooming capital Crocas next chappy, Sting, Rogue, etc, so on and so forth. **

**As well as a few of the more recently introduced ladies, amongst them Kagura of Mermaid Heel and of course Yukino from Sabertooth! Whether or not this will become a harem remains to be seen, as Naruto really has yet to display feelins toward anyone other than Haku or Wendy, but that's for you to decide! Oh, and as a side note, IF and that is a big if, I decide to make this a harem, Levy will not be included. **

**Why? **

**Simple. **

**T****hat's because...**

**...I totally support LevyxGajeel! **

**R&R! =D**


	8. Hearts of Shadow

**A/N: Wahahaha! I'm so glad all of you are enjoying this story! Now, we move on to the third and final part of training, the arrival of Crime Sorcerie, and, of course, a few moments of tender romance between the couples. And of course a much needed verbal beatdown towards Sabertooth on behalf of our favorite bonde...**

_"__I haven't relied on luck since the instant I was born._

_~Kagura._

**Hearts of Shadow**

_"Seriously?" _Naruto snorted, eyes wide when Lucy told him the news. "You spent three months in the Spirit Realm? _In the span of a single day?" _He exchanged a glance with Wendy; because she too, appeared to have trouble believing this. They'd been out training, the both of them, so they hadn't been present for Virgo's summons. Which was a damned good thing, considering the amount of time they would've lost. Three months, gone, just like that" He shuddered at the thought of it.

"Wow, that seriously sucks." Naruto ammented.

"Don't remind me!" Lucy whined, dejected that she'd lost out on her chance at training. "And where were the two of you when this happened!"

"Training." Haku muttered without looking at Wendy. Everyone blinked, startled by the new arrival, and, Happy's alarmed declaration that said newcomer had _wings_ notwithstanding, they chose not to question her, or the azure mark of Fairy Tail, emblazoned between her breasts. That she was standing beside Naruto and Wendy clearly meant she belonged here, the thought was; even if a certain exceed was nowhere to be seen. It didn't occur to any of them_-save for Wendy-_that Haku _was_ the exceed; that this was her true form that this brown-eyed beauty standing before them had finally been freed, her curse, lifted.

"So...the entire time?" Gray gawped, referencing their strange dissappearance moments before most of them were summoned by Virgo. "The entire time you guys were, well you know...?"

"Training." Haku repeated her voice firm.

"Didn't you guys sleep?" Natsu asked, oblivious to the obvious blush on the ice-user's cheeks. "At all?"

"Training." Haku said, unrepentant.

"Seriously?" This from Lucy.

There was no further response from Haku.

Her flushed cheeks however, suggested there had been more than mere training. _Much more._ Juvia, the only one to truly notice this, silently yearned after her beloved Gray-sama and her difficulty in wooing him thus far. _Why can't Gray-sama and have something like that?_ None_-not even Juvia-_dared call the newcomer's bluff however; resulting an uncomfortable pall of a silence over the whole group. Ultimately, Levy was the one to shatter it into a thousand pieces.

"I guess we have no choice but to let Naruto-san and the others compete this time." groaned the weakest member of Shadow Gear. "And I was looking forward to it, too...

"Mmmgh!" Erza growled, clenching her hand into a fist. "We can still make it if we start now! We're gonna have a 5-day crash training from hell! Every one of you better get ready! There won't even be time to sleep!" Perhaps it was just him, but did everyon seem pale at Erza's suggestion? And wait, was that a _bird_ perched on her head just now? It was! Naruto blinked, noticing what looked like a small message wrapped around its leg.

"A pigeon?"

"There's something tied to its leg." Gray announced.

_No kidding!_

"What's it say?" Lucy pressed.

_Wouldn't I like to know!_

Erza unwound the letter from the fowl's leg, permitting it to take roost upon her head. Everyone_-Naruto included-_gathered round, anxious and eager to read the contents within. It read:

"To Fairy Tail...come to the suspension bridge deep in the west woods."

Several hours and a lot of fussing, later, they found themselves at the preordained destination. Silence greeted the group. Silence, and a broken bridge, long since broken and worn beyond repair. The frayed rope clung desperately to the last remaining planks, a frantic parent refusing to relinquish what it had already lost.

"Nobody's here...what the hell?" Natsu slapped an open fist into his palm.

"Why do you look like you're ready to fight?"

"Was it a prank?"

"I told you we shouldn't have come...

"I wouldn't be so sure about that." Haku pointed northwared, garnering everyone's attention with a single gesture. Naruto didn't even bother to conceal the surprise he felt for it was apparent' on everyone's gaze. He'd sensed something_-a buildup of magical power, perhaps?-_but even his wildest dreams couldn't have prepared him for what happened next.

_"Nani?"_

Even as they looked on the bridge burst into light, bathed in a faint glow. And then the truly inexplicable occured. It begain to repair itself; twine and cord winding their way together conjoining for the first time in decades. Fastened by unseen hands, time itself was unwound before their very eyes. And then it was done. Finished. The suspension bridge stretched across the abyss before them, complete and whole, as thought it had always been so.

"The bridge!" Lucy exclaimed aghast, unable to believe her eyes and feeling the need to point out the obvious. "It's connected to the other side!"

"This must be our invitation." Erza frowned.

Levy disagreed.

"This might be a trap, after all...

Wendy seconded that opinion.

"I'm getting scared...

"Would you rather stay here?" Haku challenged, glaring pale daggers at Wendy. "Would you rather be branded a coward?"

Wendy's mouth twisted but she had no answer. Even after three months, she'd yet to understand Haku-chan's motivations wherease Naruto was concerned. The older woman had remained utterly juxtaposed to anything other than training in the last three months, refusing to speak to her unless absolutely necessary. And yet, whenever Naruto was in the vicinity, she practically melted, clinging to his arm wherever, whenever, the opportunity presented itself.

She'd known the pair shared a storied past together, but the depth of said past remained much of a mystery to her. She was still wrestling with the newfound knowledge, that Haku had been trapped in exceed form all this time; that this icy woman was in actuality human and only recently released from her curse. She wouldn't have known if Naruto hadn't told her outright at the outset of their training...

_(Flashback)_

_Wendy collasped to the earth, gasping for breath. She wasn't at all used to her new body. As a child she'd been limber. Light. Able to skitter back out of harms way with grace and ease. As a woman, these...these things kept getting in her way! How on earth did Erza-san fight like this? Even with her Vernier spell in full effect, she found it difficult to move, let alone do battle. And against a third-generation dragon slayer, such weakness could not be allowed._

_Groaning, she forced herself to her feet, forced herself to stand, woodenly. Taking a deep breath, she gathered her strength, drinking deep of the air._

_"Suiryu no...**Yarinami!"** _**(Water Dragon's Spear Wave)**

_Oh no!_

_Wendy Marvell had time for this thought and this thought alone before a lance of blue light drilled into her shoulder. It didn't so much as cut as it did bruise, the blunted edge of the projectile knocking her from her feet and into the earth for a second time. Deprived of its targer the spear whistled past ner neck, impacting and **uprooting **a nearby tree. She scarcely had time to balk at it before the dull buzz of movement alerted her to the next attack._

_Naruto thudded into existence above her, still wrapped in that hellish armor. His sword split the earth mere millimeters from her cheek, and for a instant she thought she heard the blade give a mournful howl of anger and dissapointment. Then it was gone, vanishing into thin air as its master called it away. Naruto frowned down at her a moment longer, golden light eclipsing his body as he banished the armor._

_"Maa, Wendy, I think that's enough for today..._

_She scrabbled onto her elbows, determined to continue_

_"I...I can still go on."_

_"Nonsense." A voice interrupted. "You're flailing about like a fledgling."_

_"Haku," Naruto warned, "We had an agreement..._

_"That was before I knew your apprentice," And here she scoffed at the word, "was a total ditz."_

_"Haku?"_

_Naruto sighed._

_"Perhaps I should explain..._

_(End Flashback)_

And thus Wendy came to know of Haku's true form, her true existence.

She knew what kind of relationship the pair shared; they were partners, they'd been as such since they first made it to Earthland. As such, Haku was fiercely protective of Naruto. One might even call her overprotective if they'd come to know her as Wendy had. She could be cold, impassive, sometimes even cruel. But, for all her flaws, Haku was a talented mage, and Wendy had flourished well under her tutelage. Now if only she could learn to be more confident...

Natsu sniffed at the air.

"I know this scent...

"Heh?"

Windy inhaled as well. This smell _did_ seem vaguely familair.

"Well, we won't learn anything by standing here...

Oddly enough, Naruto was the first one to step onto the bridge. Haku followed after him, and Wendy, not wanting to be left behind, pursued immediately thereafter. One after the other they followed after their de facto leader; beginning with Erza and ending with Droy, the Fairies crossed the bridge. They trekked into the forest heedless of anything other than the path ahead and the utter certainty that something was about to happen soon. And finally, something did.

Naruto and Haku bristled as one.

There, up ahead.

Three figures stood before them, each wrapped in a midnight black cloak. Calm, unperturbed, still as gods. Almost as if they were waiting for them. The tallest of the trio stepped forward, his head inclined ever so slight as he nodded towards the mages and their entourage.

"Thank you for coming...Fairy Tail."

Hoods and cowls flung back, the trio introduced themselves. Revealed were a pair of women and a young man, neither of whom Naruto nor Haku recognized. The same could not be said of their guildmates, however, as a chours of shocks and gasps tore through the clearing, leaving behind a truly dreadful pall. Everyone froze, everyone stared, but it was ultimately Erza who broke the silence.

"J-Jellal!" Titania exclaimed aghast, gawping at the man standing before her.

"You haven't changed a bit, Erza." When there was only silence, the navy-haired mage continued, "So I'm sure you've heard all about my jailbreak by now?"

"Yeah...

"Though, to be honest...its not what I had planned." Jellal turned aside, unable to meet her gaze.

"Meredy and I broke him out." One of the women, the older of the pair, announced.

"I didn't do anything." The pinkette insisted, smiling. "You did it all by yourself, mostly, Ultear."

Juvia looked at the girl with glistening eyes.

"Meredy...

The former smiled and waved.

"Juvia! It's been awhile!"

Naruto's frown continued to deepen as he looked on; as Natsu and the others exchanged greetings. Tersely at first, the tension gradually lessening as the Fairies realized that the trio, despite their pasts, were no longer their enemies. It wasn't as if he didn't trust them per se, it was just...he didn't like being left out! Irate that he knew not the three mages standing before him, the former jinchuuriki was about to dismiss himself and return to the beachead_-his training long was long since complete-_when, a stray snippet of conversation fell upon his ears.

"Excuse me...but have we met before?"

Naruto stopped in his tracks, his face slowly reappearing over his shoulder as he curiously regarded the one who had spoken. A look of irritation crossed his eye as it regarded them behind him. One of the women, the raven-haired mage, was looking at him most intently. Naruto met her gaze evenly. Refused to flinch. There was no malice to be held in her stare, just idle curiousity.

_"I beg your pardon?"_

"He would've remembered someone like _you."_ Haku replied icily, interposing herself between them.

Naruto paused, tilted his head.

"I'm sorry, I think you've mistaken me for someone else."

"No!" She shook her head emphatically. "No, its alright, really." Naruto watched her move, watched her return her attention to the other mages of Fairy Tail. Honestly did _all_ the women in this realm have to dress up so very strangely? In this, Ultear was certainly exception. _She does have curves in the all the right places, though...gah! Why am I thinking about that! _

Haku shot him a sidelong glance.

Naruto raised his hand in meek protest.

"Don't look at me!" Listen to her!" He ammended, witnessing her thunderous expression. "Not me!"

"With my new improves Time Arc...I can raise the level of your ability." Ultear then went on to explain what everyone else would later describe as a _massive_ power up. "In other words, it will give a giant boost to your magical power, even more than any of the training you've done until now."

Everyone cheered!

"But_...you'll endure pain beyond your wildest dreams."_

"Aaaah...

"Scary eyes...

"I don't care!" Natsu exclaimed! "Thank you! Thank you!" He cried as he glommed Ultear, his head landing comically against her chest. "How can I thank you! You're starting to look like a real woman!" It would've been funny, almost...if his hear weren't rubbing between her breasts!

"I **AM** a woman!" Ultear snapped back as she wriggled out of the dragonslayer's grip. "Could you let go, please!" Gathering herself together, the one-time member of Grimoire Heart stood upright struggling to conceal a heated blush from her face. With a heated glare at Natsu_-and a sheepish apology from the dragonslayer-_she returned her attention to the gaggle of mages assembled before her.

"Who would you say is the strongest amongst you at the moment?" she asked.

Everyone pointed at Naruto and Wendy, much to their consternation.

"Oi...

"N-Nani?"

Ultear nearly guffawed.

_Those three_ had massive magic power already. One was a woman wearing a frilly white dress. The other a form fitting outfit that would've made even a goddess green with envy. The third had a lachrima inside of him, and he smelled of dragon slayer magic. He dwarfed the others, not just in height, but in terms of sheer power. Unbidden, she felt his eyes upon her. He pinnioned her with a gaze, offering a small smile in recompense for her earlier behavior.

_'This guy... now that I look at him...he's pretty cute.'_

She exchanged a glance with Meredy, caught the gleam in her the eyes of her surrogate daughter, sighed. Now that she looked at the blond, now that she _really_ looked at him, his identity was almost painfully obvious, as was that gleaming spaulder on his shoulder. _Leviathan._ The newest ace of Fairy Tail in the wake of the Tenrou Island incident. Unimaginably strong, his escapades were featured in almost every Sorceror's Magazine, worldwide. They'd been on the run for such a long time...so this was what he looked like! Fine then. If that's the way it was going to be...

"Leviathan, right?"

Naruto perked up.

"Yeah?"

...you wouldn't happen to be single by any chance, would you?"

Naruto facepalmed and Haku bristled like a cat.

"You did _not _seriously ask me that just now, did you?"

"We aren't here for that sort of thing, Ultear." Jellal frowned.

She turned a frosty eye towards her companion.

"I didn't know you swung that way-

With a notable twitch above her left eye, Ultear repeatedly stomped on Jellal before kicking him back against the nearest tree.

"Anyway, I did not ask for your opinion, Jellal!"

Looking at him, Naruto couldn't help but feel sorry for the poor guy.

He'd be feeling _very_ sorry for his friends later...

* * *

Natsu writhed in pain, gasping and groaning, moaning and twitching. Runes scrawled across his skin, glowing and pulsating an eerie purple. Every breath seemed to exact and invisble toll on him, his chest heaving with each effort, straining to draw in air. He flopped around on the ground, digging deep furrows into the dirt with his hands.

"Oi oi," Gray swallowed nervously. "Are we going to have to go through the same thing?"

"Yes," A strained voice growled through clenched teeth. "Yes you are."

Lucy gulped as she glanced past Natsu...

...and into the eyes of a second dragon slayer.

Namikaze Uzumaki Naruto stood beside him, likewise garbed only in his undergarments, still as a god, arms folded before his chest, eyes cold and impassive. The only indication of his pain could be seen in his stiffened shoulders, the muscle jumping in his jaw. Unlike Natsu he did not scream. He did not cry out. He'd been standing that way for nearly five hours now, having been the first one to volunteer for the upgrade to his magical power; to suffer the deadly runes as they crawled across his flesh. Natsu, determined not to be outdone by his fellow slayer, had been the second to volunteer.

He was beginning to regret that decision now.

As was another.

Wendy Marvell did her best to look on as Gray and then Lucy subjected themselves to the same torment, as, one by one, each of her friends plunged into pain. And then she was the only one left, watching her family of friends writhing in epileptic agony before her. And still, Naruto did not budge. He bared his teeth at her in a forced smile, his entire body shivering_-quivering-_from the effort it took to stand still.

"It'll be...your turn...soon...Wendy." Naruto grunted. "Are you...prepared?"

Wendy gawped at her fellow dragon slayer. At his _eyes_ the irises flickering rapidly between simple sapphire and sinister scarlet. She'd never been afraid of him before. Never, until this instant. She could feel his magical power increasing every second. Growing. Like a grrat and unholy, shadow creesping across a mountain. If Naruto stood at the peak than Wendy clearly was at the bottom. She had yet to even begin her climb. But even Natsu-san was screaming. _Natsu_ who was so tough, so defiant, so fierce. She wanted to cry, such was her despair. Numbed, she felt herself walking away from Gray and the others, into the forest. She didn't want them to see her tears. Didn't want them to know her weakness.

It was only when she was certain she was alone, that Wendy allowed herself to cry.

She scrubbed at her eyes with the back of a hand. She was useless when she was like this. So very useless...

_"Why are you crying, Wendy?"_

Wendy _squeaked,_ such was her surprise.

"Na-Naruto-kun!" Frantically, she rubbed at her eyes. "What're you doing here!"

'Naruto' shrugged.

"I wanted to check on you."

"B-B-B-But how?"

How indeed?

Because this Naruto was fully clothed, and there was not so much as a single trace of agony to be seen anywhere in his blue eyes. _Blue._ They were a bright, glorious sapphire once more, not that slitted crimson. _Why in the world does that bother me?_ Wendy wondered. The color of his eyes...no that wasn't quite right. It was the way his magic felt when she saw those eyes. When she saw those eyes she felt like she was cast adrift in a storm-tossed sea, waves crashing down around her head, ready to drive her under at any moment. She felt so much safer when his eyes were their true blue, as they were now; the calm color of an afternoon sky. Back there he'd been so terrifying...

"The boss used his clone magic to triplicate himself before the upgrade." the clone explained. "I guess he wanted to make sure you'd be okay."

Wendy sniffled at that.

"Oh...

That was just like him, wasn't it? Just like him to keep an eye on her, to make sure she was alright...

Naruto arched an eyebrow.

"So? Why were you crying?"

"N-No reason...

_"Wendy."_

"It hurts." She withered under his glare. "I-I don't want to be weak anymore, but I'm scared...

"Didn't I say I'd make you strong?"

"Yes, but-

"No buts!" Naruto reproached. "Let it out, Wendy!"

"I...I...

He pulled her head into his chest , cradling her head against him as one would a child as she began to cry.

"Just...let it out."

* * *

Naruto opened his eyes as the pain finally faded. His body screamed at his stiffness as he stretced to his full height. The memories from his clones came crashing down around his ears and he absorbed them within the span of a single second. He opened his eyes, turned his attenton toward the only other mage inhabiting the clearing. Erza Scarlet stared back at him, utterly unfazed by the after effects of Ultear's spell. Well, that was to expected. She was Titania, after all.

"The others?" he asked.

Erza nodded toward the shed.

"So it's just you and me, then?"

"Yes, why?"

He locked eyes with her, pinnioned her with a gaze.

"Follow me."

She obliged him, allowing herself to be led out of the clearing, toward the beach. The waters lapped at her toes, a lover's caress, tickling at the soles of her bare feet. The full moon shone down upon them, basking the unlikely pair in heavenly glow. Where was he taking her, she wondered? Why had he left a clone behind to guard the others? She wondered at all these things and more, until her felow mage came to an abrut stop. He spun around, arms crossed, eyes narrowed.

"So...you and Jellal were close, huh?"

Erza blinked.

"You followed us?"

Naruto grinned, shook his head.

"A little birdie told me."

"And?" Erza asked, suddenly suspicious. "What does this have to do with anything? Why did you bring me out here for that matter?"

"Do you love him?"

The question caught her off guard. No! Of course she didn't love him! He had a fiance...oh, wait. That was lie, she remembered. She

"That settles it, then."

"Beg pardon?"

"You're going to vent all of that frustration out on me." Naruto announced.

Erza blanched. She'd vented on Natsu and Gray before. Nearly killed them, too. Naruto might be strong, he might hold the tilte of Leviathan, but he was by no means immortal. If she came at him with full strength, her full power, increased as it was, she might very well kill him. There was enough blood on her hands already. But she couldn't tell him that. So instead she settled for a soft sounding:

"I might hurt you...

He laughed; it was a deep, throaty sound.

"You can try."

Befre she could speak, before she could attempt to dissuade him, the dragon slayer placed two fingers together and snapped them twice.

**_"Ragnarok."_**

The words burst before his lips, manifesting in a black bar of flame. It took shape as she looked on, molding itself against his fingertips, fleshing out against his palm. Moments later he held a massive two-handed sword with a scalloped edge. Erza, master of weapons that she was, recognized it almost instantly. A flamberge. Rumored to be Leviathan's weapon of choice, alongside that ghastly armour of his. If that was the sword then it had to be the equal of _that._ So where was the_...uh-oh._

Naruto held the blade out to her with a wide grin, snapped off a prompt salute, and uttered a word that would forever carve itself into her memory.

_"**Khanda**."_

Despite herself, despite all she'd seen in her storied career, Erza Scarlet shivered at the hellish manifestation of bone and metal that was Leviathan's armor. Wendy had described itto her in passing, but even so, Titania couldn't help but shake at it; the sight of the glimmering black steel driving a wedge of fear into her breast as it roiled across the blonde's frame. That great cape did nothing to obscure his broad shoulders, nor the skull of dragons that adjourned him and his blade. Whatever magic Ultear wrought upon him had increased his magical capacity to unholy heights. It crushed down on her like the ocean behind them ready to suffocate her at the slightest provocation.

If Naruto saw her fear, he certainly cared little for it.

"Draw your sword, Erza."

The redhead frowned.

"You can't expect me to-

Naruto brought the flamberge down. _Hard._ Erza froze as the blow streaked past her and into the sand, into the water, parting the sea miles_-leagues!-_into the distance. She gawped at the sheer power of the strike and it was terrifying to behold. Naruto grinned back at her beyond that helm of metal and bone, his eyes obscured just enough to hide his ear-splitting grin. He'd split the sea with a single strike! And she was actually about to fight this man? Leviathan, indeed!

_**"Draw your best sword, Erza." **_he repeated._** "And put on your best armor." **_He stepped forward, wielding the flamberge in a dual, heavy-handed grip._**"You're going to need them. Both of them."**_

"You're going to regret this, you know."

"I certainly hope so."

If Naruto saw her anger, he _certainly_ enjoyed it.

"Come!" He barked, shifting into a ready stance. "Titania!"

**A/N: Ta-da! Things are really going to heat up next chapter! Still not sure if this story is going to be a harem yet, but if it is, it'll certainly shape up to be a good one! If you don't know who Khanda is (what is more likely) Read the Conqueror's Shadow by Ari Marmell. I promise, you won't be dissapointed. For those of you who have read this wonderful story, a cookied for you! Then again the knowledge of what Khanda is might have your stomach too upset to ear. We might see a touch of UltearxNaruto next chappy, maybe even Meredy, depending on the fan's reactions...**

**BTW, Sabertooth is going to have one hell of a reckoning with Naruto next chapter as the training finally gets ends and we move onto the tournament saga!**

**R&R! =D**


	9. Mistresses of the Dragon

**A/N: Wahahaha! I'm so glad all of you are enjoying this story! Its been such a long time since I've touched this story, but I simply HAD to let Fairy Tail get ahead of me somewhat. Now that it has picked up some steam, I feel safe to continue. Now, we move on to the third and final part of training, the arrival of Crime Sorcerie, and, of course, a few moments of tender romance between the couples. And of course a much needed verbal beatdown towards Sabertooth on behalf of our favorite bonde. Also...*SPOILER* Minerva is a total bitch! Now I am back with a vengenace, and, proud to say this story is now M-Rating for a very good reason. Now that I've got the plot down and everything's starting to come to fruition...**

**...enough ranting! Onto the next chapter! WARNING! This chapter contains *ahem* very interesting scenes...**

_"__I haven't relied on luck since the instant I was born."_

_~Kagura._

**Mistresses of the Dragon**

"Is there a reason you've been following us, Leviathan-kun?"

"No...um...you see...ouch! Don't pull that!"

"And the arms goes...breeeeaaaak!"

_"Aaargh!"_

Naruto nearly fell over. Rather he would have, were he not already pinned to the ground. As it were, he merely growled, shoving his face still deeper into the dirt as though he could somehow shelter his shame there. A low, melodious laugh echoed above him. A woman's laugh. Night stars twinkled mischeviously above them, as though the heavens themselves had somehow conspired to bring the blonde's suffering to a head. How had this come about you ask? How had Fairy Tail's infamous Leviathan found himself at the mercy of this woman, of Ultear Milkovich? Therein lies a story, and a most interesting one at that.

Naruto had been following Ultear.

He'd been trailing her for several days now actually, having swiftly recovered from having his magic increased ten-no, a hundredfold. And he had to admit...his new strength was astounding! Whereas once Naruto could merely manipulate water thanks in part to Tsukiyomi's tireless tutelage, now he sensed every drop. The air, the atmosphere, he was aware of it all. He could feel the water in a person's body, even; sense it, from miles away. And the powers! He'd felt like he could take on the Ten Wizard Saints! At once! Not that he had any desire to do so, mind you, but still!

Not one to leave his friends in the dark, he'd left some clones behind to supervise Wendy and others _as well as _their training. It seemed a sound idea at the time. _At the time._ Now he wasn't quite so sure. _Now,_ caught as he was in such a compromising position, he realized he wasn't quite as strong as he'd thought himself to be. He also had precious little explanation to offer for his whereabouts. Trapped as he was between the earth and Arc of Time sorceress herself; he was sorely beginning to regret his decision to pursue her in the first place. Served him right for underestimating her! Well...maybe not so much.

His surveillance had begun innocently enough; he'd followed the trio a distance waiting for a chance to speak with Ultear alone. Sorceress not-withstanding, he wasn't particularly comfortable around either of them; he simply wanted to complete his mission and head back as swiftly as possible. Unfortunately and in doing so, he'd concealed his prescence a tad too well. The moment the Third Generation Dragon Slayer made his move, ther very instant he tried to approach the former member of Grimmoire Heart , he'd found himself locked in a full nelson that would've put Tsunade-baachan to shame.

Of course, Naruto hadn't taken very kindly to that, either. His first instinct was to lash out and...well, Ultear lashed right back. It never occurred to him that the sorcerress might increased her magic first; marking her a worthy opponent tohis newfound powers, an ideal adversary, even for a dragonslayer such as him to face. No, wait. That, wasn't quite right. Ultear was the _least_ ideal adversary for him face. Not just because she was a woman_-he never could bring his full strength to bear against them_-nor because she was drop dead gorgeous-_that made it even worse!-_or even the sultry looks she kept shooting him. No, Uzumaki Naruto told himself as he lay facedown in the dirt; it was none of these things that attributed to his loss. It was her Lost Magic: Arc of Time.

Water vs. Time...was not a good match up by any means.

One thing led to another and thus, he found himself laying face down in the dirt, stradled by a sopping wet, scantily clad sorceress sitting atop his back, as if she owned him. She'd certainly handed his ass back to him! Aghast, he mumbled a quiet obscenity into the dirt. _Damn him and his insufferable weakness for all things woman!_ He just couldn't bring himself to use his full power against female mages! Not to mention the fact that Ultear had dissipated his element with ease..._after_ he'd initially drenched her with water. The look on her face had been priceless! Good thing she wasn't wearing makeup anymore...

A searing pain in his right arm and lower back, dragged the blond back to the present. Ultear was twisting his arm. Literally. While Leviathan had been subsumed in his thoughts, the sorceress had bent the limb behind his back. Now she was twisting it as such an angle that he could no longer ignore; leaving the legendary Leviathan yelping in pain. Oh, if only Haku could see him now! But he'd left her behind with a note for, alongside the others. He couldn't risk the kunoichi's wrath. Not here. Not now. Not when he was far too busy suffering Ultear's!

"Ow!" Naruto whined! "Owowowow! Alright! I'm sorry! I should've spoken to your earlier before I started following you! Gomenosai!"

"Ara," Ultear uncrossed a long leg from where she sat on his back, smiling down at him ever-so-sweetly. "Did you say something just now, Leviathan-kun?"

...Naruto!"

"Hmm?"

"My _name..._ is Naruto!" The blond gasped out at her, turning his head out of the dirt. "And...would you...mind letting go of my arm? Please?! You're gonna break it!"

The sorceress chuckled softly, but her grip slackened nonetheless, leaving Naruto to heave a relieved sigh and sink into the damp ground.

"Funny, I had the succint impression you were enjoying yourself down there."

Leviathan flushed a grand crimson color throughout his whole face as he scrambled to is feet. Damn this woman! Why did she have to make it sound so...so...so damned _dirty?!_ Bad enough that she bested him, but to phrase it like that...she made him sound like a pervert!

"Aren't you?"

_Shit!_ he cursed himself for the mental lapse in his defenses. _Telepathy!_

"I-I most certainly am not!" He dusted himself off. "See! I'm standing, aren't I?!"

"Only because I'm letting you, handsome." Ultear smiled. What she wouldn't give to pin this boy to a tree with her lips...

"Aaargh! Stop that!"

"Stop what?"

"Teasing me!" Naruto growled as took several steps backward. "I came here for a reason!"

"Is that so?" Ultear asked, placing a hand upon her hip. "Then, joking aside, why _were_ you following us?"

Naruto opened his mouth...

...and promptly snapped it shut. He needed to phrase this right; because there _was_ a very important question he needed to pose toward the sorceress, one he didn't feel comfortable entrusting a clone with. A duplicate might botch the job and then what would he do. No, this was something he needed to do by himself, for himself, or so he'd convinced said self at the time. Unfortunately, now that he looked at Ultear _now that he really looked at her_ he couldn't help but notice just how damned _tight_ her outfit was. How damp it was, how it clung to her every curve, accentuated the dip in her waist, the way her bosom stuck up straight out of her shirt...

_"My eyes are up here, Naruto-kun."_

Naruto promptly slapped himself, lest he truly fall over. _Godamnit shit!_ He'd been staring. Again!

"I...erm...ah...I was...that is to say...

"Planning to confess your feelings?" the sorceress teased.

This time Naruto really _did_ fall over.

"Oi!" he exclaimed aghast, gawping at her. "Y-You're joking, right, Ultear-san?"

Ultear sniffed, idly brushing a few strands of her long hair back over her shoulder. "Maybe. Maybe not. But a woman always likes to know that someone recognizes her presence. _Especially_ when that someone is a mage like you and we're making our presence obvious." Naruto scratched at the back of his head. Gods! This woman was hard to read! She took his words and turned them against him with ease; as though they were naught but pawns in a game; he the rook, and she, the queen.

"Ah...

"So?" She eyed him coyly. "You came all this way for a reason, didn't you? If not to confess, then what?"

"I _wanted_ to ask you something." Naruto said, composing himself at last. "About Zeref."

"Oh." Ultear's grew hard and cold , all trace of humour gone, burned away by the mention of that name. "I don't know much, but I'll be happy to tell you whatever it is you want to know." That name carried memories she'd rather not revisit, but if it was for Leviathan she'd gladly revisit them as many times as need be, so long as he didn't judge her.

"Thank you." Naruto inclined his head in a bow. Tsukiyomi had taught him to always be polite to women, no matter the circumstance. Even if said woman was sexually tormenting him. Steeling his soul for the words he knew he must say, he posed the question:

"How long has it been since you last had contact with him?" he was cursing himself even as the words left his lips; because the look Ultear gave him was like ice. No...it was worse than that. _Cold._ Those lustruous black obs were deeper and darker than death, colder than the ninth circle of hell.

"Not once." Ultear's voice was low, dangerously so. "Not since I left Grimmoire Heart."

To broach the subject any further would be tantamount to disaster. Naruto knew this. He swallowed once, hard, painfully aware of his own blunder, and the need to correct it. Why was it that the most beautiful women in this world _always_ scared the living shit out of him? Erza was somewhat frightening in her own, direct way. Mirajane could startle him at times. But now_ here and now_...in this very moment Ultear Milkovich surpassed them all. It was downright terrifying.

"I believe you." Naruto really did. He could see it in her eyes; that chapter of her life was over. She'd moved on; intent on repenting for her many sins. "And...sorry." He bowed deeply at the waist, thrusting his head for the ground at their feet. "That was stupid of me! Shouldn't have asked you that." There was a silence. A silence in which Naruto barely breathed. He'd wronged Ultear. _Badly. _The one person who might be able to prove his theory about getting home, provide him with the information he sought, and he'd gone and pissed her off. Nice job, dumbass! The last thing he wanted to do was alienate her.

"Raise your head, Leviathan." When he raised his gaze, the anger was gone from Ultear's voice, replaced by the faintest touch of ardour. "I'll let that one slide. But only because you're cute." She winked at him. Naruto gave a sputtering acquittal of his own, somehow. His charms had saved him...this time.

"Ahaha...I suppose I should be flattered."

"You should." Ultear tucked a stray strand of sopping hair behind her ears and bid him to sit beside her. Naruto reluctantly aqueisced. He dried the log with an errant thought, providing a dry place for him to sit. Ultear arched an eyebrow at this feat but said nothing of his new ability. She didn't seem to care. Or so he thought.

"Aren't you going to dry me as well?" she asked, indicating her drencehd form. "I'm still wet." Naruto flushed anew and wrenched his gaze away from the soaked sorceress. _Kami!_ Just how thin was that fabric?! What's more, she was still looking at him; for the first time in his life, Leviathan was distinctly uncomfortable around a woman.

"Can't you do that yourself?" he half-pleaded with Ultear, trying his darndest not to look at her body.

Ultear shook her head.

"Arc of Time doesn't work on living beings, remember?"

"Liar!" Naruto snapped back. "You used it increase our magical power, didn't you?!"

"Yes, but that doesn't mean I can use it to dry _myself."_ Ultear deadpanned. "Now, be a dear and hurry, would you? I think I'm catching cold."

There was another uncomfortable silence. Naruto groaned, closed his eyes, pinched the bridge of his nose. Behind his lips, he gnashed his teeth together. Troublesome...woman!

"Fine." He acquiesced with a sigh. "But don't blame me if this backfires...!"

His senses stretched out from his self, drifting to the well-endowed mage sittng at his side; to the moisture, clinging to her body, not focusing upon each drop_-that would've been too much even for him-_but rather, their overall sense of water clinging to her body and bossom. Slowly, ever so slowly, he began to lift the water. Inch by inch, drop by drop, it slipped from Ultear; dripping between her arms and thighs, trickling upward in an eerie, otherwordly reverse rainfall. It was by no means easy; he'd never done this sort of thing before, lifting water from a body. If he wasn't careful he might suck her dry. But he believed himelf equal to the task and he set himself to it. He heard a soft moue of surprise escape Ultear's lips, and an unbidden smile twitched at his own mouth as he continued to pull water from her soaked skin and clothing.

He pictured it in his mind; the water lifting from her soaked clothes and body, hanging over the heads. At first, he was tempted just to discard the liquid and be done with it. A petty thought pricked him and held him in the moment. If Ultear thought that was something..._wait till she saw this! _He lowered it, molded it to his will. She must've realized he was showing off; he heard her chortle, softly. He draped the water over their heads like a curtan and held it there, bending and shaping it to his will. He refused to open his eyes, focusing every fiber of his being into molding the liquid. Surely he was equal to such a simple task, without harming Ultear, without becoming prone to distraction.

He wasn't.

An errant thought flickered through the halls of his mind unbidden. Ultear; a shrivelled and dried husk, sapped of all life and water. By him. Because of him. Shock and horror twisted his every feature, shattering his concentration_-and his tenuous control over water not his own-_like so much glasss. The water wavered for a mere moment; looming over their heads om before splashing down upon them both like a deluge, soaking sorceress and dragon slayer alike; drenching them to the bone. Naruto gasped and sputtered; torn back to reality by the water, by Ultear's gasp of surprise...and something else.

The water _tasted_ like her. Ultear. Some of the water must've landed on his tongue during the downpour; he'd no other way of explaining it. He just knew. It smelled of her. It was her. Naruto almost choked, such was his surprise; and his own embarassment. If he'd known his newfound powers stretched that far, he wouldn't have dared to do such a thing! He would've dried her out like a husk if he wasn't careful! That settled it. He was never going to use that particular ability again, not unless he had to. Blissfully unaware of his sudden distress, Ultear laughed and scooted herself- her body-closer to him. Interesting. This boy was completely and utterly interesting.

"Looks like we're both wet now." she purred into his ear teasingly. "And it all...your...fault."

Much to her own amusement, Naruto blushed. Ultear broke out into a fit of giggles. Leviathan was so easy to mess with! For all his bluster and bravado the boy knew next to nothing when it came to pleasing a woman in _that_ aspect. It was a pity, really. Despite being surrounded by so many girls he knew next to nothing when it came to pleasing them. She'd have to do something about that...

"A-n-y-w-a-y!" Naruto resolutely pushed on, intent to put the matter-and that image-behind him, "I'm not here to talk about that! I'm here to talk about Zeref!"

"Then by all means talk," Ultear abruptly stood from the stump, smiling softly to herself. "While I change."

"Ha?"

Without further adue, the raven-haired sorcreress unbuckled the cape from her shoulders; the sodden garment collapsing in a wet heap as she bent to remove her boots. Naruto realized her intention a tad too late; by that time she'd already began to unzip her jacket exposing the naked expanse of a single shoulder. Blue eyes bulging so large he was certain they'd fall out of his head, Naruto could only gawp in shock and disbelief as the sorceress slipped free from of the rest of the garment right in front of him, exposing her naked upper torso without so much as a care in the world.

What..._What_..._**WHAT?!**_

"Oiiiiiiiiii!" He bolted to his feet and promptly performed an about face when she blinked her surprise and turned, folding a single arm before her chest. "Ultear-san!"

"Yes?"

"W-W-W-W-What are you doing?!" He couldn't look at her! He musn't look! Haku would flay him! Flay him alive! His eyes drifted...and immediately snapped backwards. No! He musn't! To look was to die! And he didn't want to die yet! There was still so much he hadn't done! So many places he hadn't been! So many things he hadn't seen! Speaking of seeing_...aaargh!_ Leviathan cursed himself when his eyes dipped back toward Ultear and her supple back form. What the hell was wrong with him?! He scarcely even knew her!

"Isn't it obvious, Naruto-kun?" The sorceress smiled, uncaring for his inner conflict. "I'm getting rid of these awful clothes. I can't very well wear them when I'm soaked now, can I?" She gestured towards the zipper at her back, just out her reach. "Would you kindly give me a hand with this, my darling?"

"I'm not your darling!" Narutp spluttered. "And no! I'm not helping you undress!" Blue eyes locked with black, neither willing to give way. Eventually, the former, yielded. Muttering obscenities that'd leave even the dark mage Zeref aflush with shame, he seized the zipper for her jacket and pulled it down. _Hard. _He fought a shiver as his calloused fingertips briefly_-oh so briefly_-graced the skin of her back. What he found there was not all smooth and satin as he'd supposed; instead he felt, then saw, the rough X-shaped scar beneath his hand. The sheer sight of it smothered his humiliation in more immediate-albeit temporary- curiousity.

_"What's this?"_

"The mark of Crime Sorciere." Ultear replied softly. "Do you like it?"

"It's...well, wow." Naruto couldn't help but stare at it. "This...how did you get this scar?"

"Self-inflicted." was her reply.

"Self..._what?"_

"I once bore the Grimmoire Heart mark in this very same spot." Ultear remarked wyrly, her words laced with a touch of bitterness. "After everything that happened, I couldn't stand to think of it. So I decided to erase it from existence. By force if need be. Now, the mark you see there represents my resolve to right the wrongs I've made." She brushed at her hair with a hand, pushing the raven curtain between them and the mark once more, almost as if she were embarassed.

"It takes a lot of resolve to right one's wrongs." Naruto agreed, reflecting back to his days when he'd first found himself in Earthland. It hadn't been easy for him back then; waking up, to find you were a little kid once more, forced to relive your life as a child, all over again. He'd done so much since then. He'd sacrificed, sweated, bled, and cried under Tsukiyomi's tutelage, all to attain the strength he had today. He'd lived his life by his morals since her dissappearance, his and his alone. He'd made some mistakes, but he strove every day to fix them. And he was damned proud of it. Ultear...she was more like him than he'd thought.

"It does, doesn't it?"

"Hmm?" He blinked, drawn from his resolve by his words.

"I like your attitude." She continued, offhandedly. "You would've made a fine member of Crime Sorciere. Its such a shame you were snatched up by Fairy Tail first."

Naruto chuckled sheepishly and averted his gaze.

"Yeah, well, I kinda have a bit of history with some of their members...

"That Wendy girl, right?"

"Mmm." Naruto nodded as he fiddled with the zipper, doing his best to look at her neck, and failing horribly. "I just can't leave her alone, not after all we've been through." His expression turned wistful. Wendy had yet to remember the time they'd spent together but that was just fine with him. She was still important to him, as was their bond. He'd wait as long as was necessary.

"Oho," Ultear laughed into her hand, "Just what _have_ you two been through, exactly?"

Aaaaaand just like that, the moment was ruined.

"N-None of your business, baka!"

"Oh, I think it _is_ my bussiness." She turned her head to look at him over her shoulder, her words softer than a feather's touch. "After all, if the two of you will be competing together, I need to know if any issues could arise from something like that...

"I-It's not like that!" Naruto sputtered! Damnit, why was he opening up to such a complete stranger?! While he was unzipping her jacket, no less! "And I'm not going to tell you anything about it!"

"That's a shame."

"You really would've made a fine partner." These words were softer still; barely susceptible even to his ears. "A truly, wonderful partner."

_"Huh?"_

"No, its nothing." Ultear shook herself and to his disbelief, a faint flush burnished her cheeks. "Are you quite finished back there?" She squirmed restlessly. "If you keep staring at me like that...its embarassing...I might even get the wrong idea...

A trickle of blood trailed down Naruto's nose.

_Is she fucking serious?_ He thought to himself, _Or is she just messing with me?_

"Th-There." Burning brighter than any flame, the blond turned away and thrust a finger emphatically for the tree in the undergrowth. "Now...go! Get changed over there before-

"Before what?" Ultear was suddenly facing him, black eyes burning up at him, pinnioning the dragon slayer on their gaze. "What are you going to do if I refuse, Leviathan?" Naruto found himself rooted by those orbs. Trapped; his boots locked in place upon the loamy soil of the forest floor. Not by some spell_-though hed later call it such-_nor by his desire. It was the eyes that held him. They were like his. For the longest time he'd thought Ultear was merely messing with him; delighting in his discomfort while she worked her feminine charms. Now he knew. She'd been serious about her offer, he realized. Oh, kami.

Her fingers trailed across his chin, lingering upon his whiskered cheeks. Of course that freed up her bosom, leaving her bare breast to press into his chest. Inwardly, Naruto cursed himself. Of all the times not to wear his armor! He could hear the lust whispering in his ear, mocking him, taunting him. _She wants you. Just take her. No one has to know._

"So...what do you say?" The sorceress purred up at him, nuzzling her cheek ino his neck, "Why don't you stay awhile and I'll show you what a _real_ woman is like...

Naruto placed both hands upon her shoulders, calloused fingers alighting upon the bare flesh of her collarbone. Instead of leaning forward, however, as she'd expected him too, he pushed. Held her back at arms length, and looked her square in the eye, his expression stoic. Ultear blinked her surprise. For a moment there, she'd thought he was about to give in.

"Ultear-san, please put some clothes on."

"Oh, you're no fun." She pouted. "What's a little fun between friends?"

"With all due respect, I don't think I know you well enough to call you friend."

"Point taken." Down but not out the raven-haired beauty shrugged in defeat, a slow smile flitting across her face when she finally detected the heat in the former jinchuuriki's face. "But I didn't think you were _this_ much of a virgin, Leviathan." She grinned as his cheeks burned and raised both arms above her head, enticingly. "Don't tell me you've never seen a woman naked-

Naruto promptly spun her around and pushed her toward the tree

"GO!"

"Hai hai, if you insist." Ultear giggled. This really was too easy. Mighty mage Leviathan may be, but he was no match for a true woman's charms. Certainly not hers. Striding past him proved to be even more delightful; she could feel his eyes on her; raking acromss her form when he though she wasn't looking.

Naruto didn't budge an inch, not until he was certain she stood behind the tree. Only then did he dare raise his gaze. That was way too close! For a moment, he'd nearly lost himself. If Kurama was still with him he was certain the old fox would be laughing his ass off right now. Or at the very least, assuming direct control, _(haven't I already done that in another fic?)_ of his body. His body raged against him, fingers twitching as he tried desperately to quell the unbidden image of the raven-haired sorceress beneath him, gasping out his name in ecstasy_...stop!_ He slammed the brakes on _that_ train of thought before his body could runaway with it. And it nearly did! He felt himself take a small step forward and immediately took two steps back. Warily, he regarded the tree, fearing the sorceress might spring out from behind it and try to take him by force. If she did that, welll...his self-control was screwed.

"You gonna stay back there?" he ventured weakly.

"Until I'm dressed, yes." Came the reply.

"Good." The blonde grumbled. "No temptation, then...

"Excuse me?"

"Nothing!" he barked back, shaking his head rapidly. "Nothing at all! Moving on now! Next question!"

"About that," Ultear's face appeared from behind the tree, regarding him coolly. "Why do you seem so keen on Zeref anyway?"

"I think he might hold the means to return me to my world."

...you can't be serious."

"I can and I am." Naruto shook his head and contnued. "I think the incident with the Tower of Paradise was what initially led to my arrival here." Naruto explained. "Just as I understood you were the one controlling Jellal during that...incident." Shame flitted across Ultear's features for the span of a single beat, and he could see he'd dredged up bad memories once again. "I'm sorry to ask, but do you remember what happened after the Etherion was fired on the Tower of Paradise?" A gust of wind swept between them, stretching the silence on and into eternity.

"Not really, no." Ultear relented as she somewhat ducked behind the old oak once more, raven tresses swaying too and fro in the breeze. "At the time I was..._preoccupied."_

"Preoccupied?"

...yes." She admitted beneath his piercing stare. "At the time I was destroying the magic council's building and throwing them into disaray-

"THAT WAS YOU?!"

"Hai." The sorceress burned beneath the blonde's outburst. "It's not something I'm terribly proud of, so please, don't remind me." She ducked back behind the brush, leaving him with the faintest sight of skin before he could hope to apologize further.

"Gomen." He breathed. "I think all that magical energy must've torn a hole in my dimension or something; throwing me here after Kurma was ripped out of me."

"Kurama?"

Naruto didn't bother to answer her question; instead he posed one of his own.

"Do you know what happened _after_ Jellal released all the Etherion into the air?" Naruto pressed. "I mean, all that magical energy had to go somewhere."

"I'm sorry," Ultear surprised him just then, stepping out from behind the brush, not in the nude as he'd expected, but fully clothed. "I really don't know." Naruto released a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding. He was...relieved? Dissapointed? He didn't know. What he _did_ know was this; his body was _burning _when she stepped to him; her hips swaying with every motion she made. _Damn but she was beautiful_. There. He'd finally admitted it. Ultear was desireable. Whatever misbegotten sense of honour he'd had at the beginning of their conversation was beginning to wear thin.

"I see." Naruto finally contented himself to a sigh and a long, hard look at the starry night sky. Yet another dead end then. _Damn. "_I'll be going now. Thank you for your time." He turned to leave, desperate to put some distance between himself and the raven-hairedmage. He needed to get out of here. Clear his head.

"Oh, and Naruto-kun?"

He paused in midstride.

"Before you go...

"Hmm?"

"No," She shook her head. "I'm sorry. It's nothing."

_Thank kami..._

With that, Naruto started to silently move away. Ultear quickly turned and reached out with her hand, grabbing his forearm. He froze. Froze, as she took his hand and brought it slowly up to her face. His fingers cradled her cheek gently, fearfully, almost as if he expected she would vanish into a dream. _Shit._ Was his last thought before everything exploded into white. As Elfman might say, a true man could only be pushed so far before he finally broke. And with this, that final act of tenderness, had broken the dam. Uzumaki Naruto surged forward like a summer storm, sudden and unexpected; snatching Ultear Milkovich up in his arms and smothering her, kissing her lips with an urgency that almost overwhelmed her.

Ultear squeaked her surprise. She'd been planning to kiss _him!_ Not the other way around!

He was burning hot, even in the cool of the evening, and when their lips parted, he halted once more, holding her fearfully, as if they stood on a precipiece. He opened his mouth to speak, but words refused to come to him. Ultear reached up and gently touched his cheek as he had, and was surprised to feel tears there. She smiled at him sultry and so...so.._so godamned sexy._ And then Naruto leaned in and kissed Ultear again, slower this time. He dared to move his lips over hers, to feel her shudder against him, to taste her tongue over his.

Her lips were soft, warm, and oh so inviting. She crumpled into him with a whimper, a soft moue of pleasure fleeing her lips an seeking shelter in his mouth as her tongue danced over his. Ultear reached up to tangle her fingers in the messy mane of his hair, pale hands wreathing themselves through the ragged blond locks, dragging his mouth still closer to hers in ferverent desire. _Stop._ A small part of the blonde hissed. _Stop this right now._ **No!** a much larger part roared, sending his rationality cowering into a corner. He wanted this. He wanted her. He felt rather than saw his arms as he shoved her up against a tree, tearing her cape aside like so much refuse. She leapt at him before he could kiss her again, locking her legs around his waist even as he shoved her back against the bark.

Ultear shivered, a silent thrill coursing through her blood, her body, and warming her hips. She was grateful they didn't have an audience; because Leviathan had her squealing like a giddy schoolgirl as his lips left hers and sought her neck, trailing there in a series of swift, delicate kisses. _Oh dear kami_! She hadn't expected him to respond so...so fiercely! Ultear felt her bones turn to jelly her body _burning_ as the blond ground against her in his haste to remove the rest of her clothng; and she in the same fashion. Meredy surely would've balked at such a sight; she would've become jealous. Or she might've asked to join in.

Probably both...

* * *

Miles away in their sheltered campsite, Meredy stiffened in her bed. Her entire body rippled in gooseflesh and she clutched at herself, surprised by the sudden sensations coursing through her body. She'd cast a sensory link on an unknowing Ultear the other day, just in case her meeting with Leviathan turned ugly. If Ultear was in trouble, if she felt any pain, Meredy would know it. She would feel it. She needed to be ready, just in case their meeting went south. And for awhile, she though it had.

For awhile, that is.

Their had been a scuffle, in which Ultear_-her wondeful Ultear!-_had triumphed, but only after being drenched by the dragon. Afterwards came a confusing jumble of sensations; their skin drying, only to be soaked, in the next instant, Naruto-dono's hands upon pseudo-mother's shoulders sometime later, and then...

_...kissing!_

Meredy squeaked surprise when she first felt lips against her own; lips pressing against Ultear, many miles away. Her first feelings were of rage. How dare that worm kiss her mother! But when she felt his tongue, over Ultear's twining against hers, dancing across her neck; felt the brush of cold air upon naked skin. She'd expected disaster. But, as luck would have it, it hadn't. Quite the opposite. A small moan fled from her lips, swiftly stifled by her hands. He...He was touching her mother down there! That brute! She wouldn't let him violate her m...mmm...m-mother! Even her thoughts were left stuttering, her knees weak.

She struggled to stand, but another wave of ecstasy crashed down around her and send her crashing to the floor, tangling her in the sleeping bag. Meredy sat up and promptly buried her face into her bossom, her body wracked with sensual spasms. This was too much! She felt like she was going to throw up! She hadn't even the strength to cancel the link!

She felt everything Naruto was doing to Ultear, and the boldness of such gestures left her cheeks flaming. She felt his breath, hot in her face, felt every thrust as if he were atop her, stradling her, touching her...oh...oh this was ridiculous! She needed to cancel the link she had to cancel the link before before...oh...this was..._ah!_

**_Kami!_**

* * *

_(Sometime later)_

Naruto gasped as he came back to himself the next morning. Sunlight splayed across him, warming his bare skin. Blue eyes fluttered open, squinting. Ground was harsh against his skin, scarcely softened by the folds of his cape. Wait. Why was he naked? Why were his clothes strewn all across the clearing. _Shit._ He bristled as someone stirred in his arms. He risked a glance for them. Fucking shit!

Ultear lay beside him, her body spooned against his; her head was tucked into his neck, bosom pressed firm against his chest, hair sprawled across her back in a curtain of raven tresses. Even ws he looked down at her a bleary smile wreathed her pale features. _Cute._ Was his first thought, followed immediately by horror and dread. What the hell had gotten into him last night? He hadn't let loose like _that_ since...well, since he'd arrived in Earthland! Desperate, searching for answers, he cast his mind back to the past; to last night. She'd teased him incessantly and he'd finally broken.

It had been a passion that transcended passion; he'd lost himself in lust, in her, and the moment. Now he had some explaining to do. He was no stranger to sex, but he hadn't touched a woman like this since his...well, since his rebirth in earthland. Mentally chastising himself, he sat up, propping himself up on his elbows, surveying his surroundings. The clearing lay in ruins around them. Trees had been torn from the earth, ripped out by their roots, snapped in half and torn to pieces. Talk about rough sex! How was he going to explain this to the others? Kami, what was he going to tell _Wendy?_ He wrestled with these thoughts for a moment before he felt something grab him below the cape.

"Good morning."

Naruto bit back a hiss as he felt her arm tighten around his midsection, dragging him back down to their improvised blanket. Bold woman, this one. The dragonslayer grunted his surprise and sank back to the floor with a growl, glaring bloody red daggers at his mistress.

"That was low."

If Ultear was at all offended by his words, she did precious little to show it.

"Sorry." She apologized, licking her lips. "You must think I'm some kind of slut, seducing you like that; but I'd never have forgiven myself if I didn't plant one on you. Although, I hadn't planned on losing my virginity to you so easily." Naruto stole a glance down at her, gawping. _You're a virgin?_ He barely bit back the words. How could someone like her be a _virgin?!_ She held far more experienced in the bedroom than he! But he wasn't so foolish as to say that aloud. The woman in this universe made Sakura-chan's strength _pale_ in comparison.

"Seems you did more than that." he grumbled.

"Did I dissapoint you?" She asked archly.

Naruto blanched!

"No!" Naruto shouted, realizing too late the vigor with which he'd protested. "Um...no." He said, softer, stuttering. "You...ah..didn't dissapoint me. At all."

"Good." Ultear leaned in to give her lover a swift peck on the lips. "By the way, I lied."

"Eh?"

"I'm not a virgin."

_I knew it!_

"Its such a shame." She traced a finger down his chiseled chest, accentuating every word. "But you seem quite happy with your g-i-r-l-s."

"M-My girls?"

"My, haven't you noticed?" Ultear prodded his chest with a nail. "Wendy and that winged woman of yours were practically tripping over one another to bed you when last I saw them. And I beat them to it." She giggled softly. "Look like I've gotten a bit of a lead there, neh?" She cuddled closer to him, her lips touching his cheek. "You aren't angry, are you?"

Beneath his tan skin, the slow flushing of Naruto's face was like a growing forest fire.

"You...you...

"Naruto-dono!"

Both mages looked up as the cracking of branches and smashing of leaves reached their ears. Someon was coming. But who? Bedraggled and flushed, Meredy plunged out of the thicket and into the clearing, covered in loose leaves and branches. Ultear blinked her surprise, but made no effort to cover herself. Naruto was too stunned to anything other than gawp. Not due to her anger nor her sudden appearance but rather; the unholy host of sharp, deadly, glowing blades dancing over her head. Her eyes were fixated upon him, deadly daggers of death dancing in those dark orbs.

"You...you...insufferable brute!"

"Me?!"

"Yes, you!"

_"Meredy?"_

Gasping for breath, the pinkette took one hand from her knee and thrust an impotent finger for the naked pair.

"Ultear-sama!" She accused. "How could you?!"

"Ara?"

"How could you allow this...this... _man_ to sully your body?!"

"Quite easily, actually." Ultear arched an eyebrow at the glowing flush of her foster daughter. "Like this." She made a show of stretching herself across the blonde's body, sending shivers down both their spines. That, in itself was bad enough for Naruto. When he saw her sinister smile, he feared the worst. Her words merely confirmed his fears. "Say...if you're feeling lonely...why don't you join us, Meredy?" The sorceress patted a place beside her on the tattered cape. "If its with you, I'm more than willing to share...provided you don't sneak a sensory link on me like that again."

"Hah?!"

Naruto clamped a hand over his nose in a feeble attempt to staunch the sudden and abrupt flow of blood. Ultear...she wasn't actually suggesting_...that?!_ Meredy's reaction was a more subdued though by no means less prominent. A slow flush crept its way down from her head to her toes, leaving steam curling out of her ears. She lowered her gaze until it was hidden by her bangs, and when she spoke, her words were deadly soft.

"Ultear-sama...you knew?" Her flush deepened.

"Of course I did." The sorceress smiled. "Now then, are you going to be a good girl and come over here or not?" She smiled sensually, leaving her foster daughter aflush with emotion. What would it feel like, to actually have his hands on her? To have him hold her, whisper soft words in her ear? He'd driven her to madness last night, and she hadn't even been there! The thought kept nagging at her, filling her with desire, overiding all her other emotions.

"I-If you insist...but it's not because I like him or anything!" Gulping, she began to remove her blouse. Oh dear kami, she was actually doing it...

Ultear nodded knowingly.

"No, of course not...

"Don't I get a say in this?" Naruto groaned as Ultear pushed him back down, as Meredy tentatively approached.

_"No/No!"_

Somewhere in heaven, he was certain Ero-senin was laughing his ass off...

* * *

_(Five days later, in the Flower Blooming Capital, Crocas...)_

The Flower Blooming Capital, Crocas.

Capital of the Fiorre Kingdom. A grand city, bustling with commerce, and of curse, mages. Once a year a festival for them is held. The Great Magic Tournament. In the center of the city stands the King of Fiorre's palace otherwise known as Mercurias. And in the mountains to the west, the Great Magic Tournament itself is about to be held in Domus Flau. And in the middle of town...

"Oooooooow!" Lucy whined. "I'm still so sore!"

Fairy Tail.

They'd arrived only hours before, still sore and stinging from having their magical power increased. Except...two of their members were missing.

"Eh?" Natsu blinked. "Where's Naruto?"

"Come to think of it, where's Wendy?" ventured Gray.

"They said something about completing special training." Erza-utterly unharmed despite having her magic increased-announced to them. "They'll meet up with us at the dorms later tonight." She risked a glance for the sullen Haku trailing behind them. The winged woman looked utterly despondent, muttering blackly to herself as she walked, shooting icy glares at all who dared come within three feet of her.

"Then why isn't she with them?"

Erza shrugged.

"Naruto wanted her with us for some reason...

* * *

(Several hours later)

"Are you sure we can do this...?"

"Didn't those three months teach you anything?" Naruto scoffed aloud, waving a hand at the river as they walked. "If anything, we've over-prepared." He continued onward in his usual fashion, sticking both hands in his pockets, leaving her to follow marvelling all the while at the beautiful capital and not the handsome dragonslayer at her elbow. Naruto-dono had been a great deal more upbeat as of late. Especially during the last five days. It almost felt...forced. He'd come back to them two days before smelling of Ultear and Meredy, and Wendy...poor Wendy, even grown-up as she was, simply hadn't the heart to ask where he'd been or what he'd done. The thought was dperessing, so she turned her attention to the glittering city once more.

Crocus truly was a beautiful city.

They'd arrived later than the others, the evening had just begun to set in; they'd barely made it inside before ten, lest they would've been locked outside the city gates for the evening. Now, they were hurrying toward the dorms before midnight. Now, Wendy, she flushed beneath these praises, yet unable to accept them wholheartedly; knowing she still had a long way to go. She still couldn't hope to compare to Naruto...still couldn't bring herself to remember the hints of their past that he dropped on occassion.

"Oi, Wendy."

The moment she looked up slightly, Naruto maneuvered himself so that he was leaning over far enough so that his face was right in front of hers. He wore a charming, if not dashing expresion. Wendy's eyes were wide open, staring at him, and her face-to her dismay-was the color of a tomato. Her heart hammered in her chest. Too close! He was much too close.

"You need to believe in yourself." He smiled then leaned forward a little more to give her a gentle kiss on her cheek. Satisfied, Naruto leaned back again, and began checking his gear. Wendy could scarcely believe what he'd just done. He'd kissed her! She touched a hand to her face, scarlet swelling in her cheeks. Desperate for it not to be seen, she tucked her head down, hoping her azure locks, would somehow hide her growing flush from the blonde.

Wendy blushed.

"But...

_"But_ we've got three dragon slayers now." Naruto pointed out with a grin. "And after all our training, we're unbeatable!" Wendy felt her cheeks burn anew. The memory of their training still gave her cause to blush. Unlike the others, she and Naruto had trained seperately from the Tenroujima group. Naruto had relentlessly pounded Grandine's Dragon Slayer magic into her within the first week, leaving three weeks for his own, personal training regiment.

Ultear's improved Arc of Time simply heightened their already strengthened abilities, pushing the pair past their limits toward a never before seen level of magical power. They were, without a doubt, Fairy Tail's strongest pair, also known as Cyclone. And she had Naruto to thank for it. Water and wind made for an unstoppable and inseperable combo, and most of the magical world knew this for a fact. What they did not know, however, was that each dragon slayer had become massively powerful in their own right. With, or without combination magic, they were a devastatingly dynamic duo.

"Naruto-dono's plenty strong already...

Naruto laughed.

"Don't sell yourself short, Wendy! You're plenty strong yourself!"

His previous inattention vanished as he caught sight of something within his peripheal vision. A small blur of black streaked towards them, its jaws gaping and its arms spread as if to embrace them. A wicked aura emanated from this creature as it honed in on them, aiming not for him, as he'd expected, but rather for-

Naruto snarled.

_'The fuck you don't!'_

He burst forward, his fingers closing around the strange little creature before its jaws could close around its unsuspecting prey. He gave its spindly neck a viscious squeeze as he wrenched it from the air and into the earth Alerted by the sudden impact and killing intent, Wendy spun around. Her eyes widened as they locked upon the wriggling imp; only to narrow in relief as they beheld the one restraining it.

"Naruto-dono!"

"Wendy, how many times do I have to tell you not to call me that?" Rumbled the dragonslayer, never once taking his eyes from his prey, "As I've told you before, 'Naruto-kun' will do just fine, ya know?"

Her cheeks darkened.

"Na-Naruto-kun...

"Better." The corners of his lips uplifted in a small smile.

"Oho?" He growled, his fingers tightening into a vice around its neck. "What do we have here? A runt that hasn't learned its place? A rat, scurrying about in the shadows? Or perhaps," He tore back the small cape the creature wore and grinned darkly at what he found there. "A raven, wandering in the dark." Wendy froze. A guild insignia. But she knew this mark. It was the mark of the raven, of Raven Tail.

"Speak!" Naruto roared! "Why did you attack Wendy!"

Much to Naruto's ire, the little imp's grin went wider still, if possible. Clearly it wasn't going to divulge any information. Too bad. After seeing Wendy nearly lose her life_-and most of her magical power-_he wasn't feeling particularly merciful. Even now he could feel the creature trying to leech off his own power, to suck him dry as well. He could sense its dismay as it failed to absorb so much as a drop of anything.

"Well if you aren't going to talk_...then I have no use for you."_

Naruto twisted his wrist sharply, producing a sickening crack as he broke the fiend's neck. Before Wendy could protest, before she could so much as speak, Naruto kicked its corpse into the river. Summoning his magic, he willed the waters to sink, to drag the body down and float it downstream. It all happened so fast! She'd barely had time to see any of it! Gulping, she returned her attention Naruto...

...and nearly fainted outright.

The dragonslayer's expression had been altered radically. His teeth were bared, fangs exposed and he was glaring at the waters so fiercely and with such ferocity that she feared what he might do next. _Mine!_ His scent roared at Wendy, trickling into her nose and her brain in an unspoken message. It sent shivers shooting down her spine, deep into her core. _Mine! All mine! Always mine!_ Kami, what was happening to her? She had no idea what to make of this scent, only that it sent her skin burning. She vaguely recalled Grandine mentioning something like this to her; something about Dragon's being extremely over-protective toward their mates.

_Mine._ His scent snarled at her again. _My mate._

Naruto-kun was being...protective? She'd never seen him like this before; then again, she'd never been in danger like this before, either. Aggression radiated outward from him in waves, assessing potential threats and just as swiftly dismissing them. _Mine._ It was softer now, more subdued. Wendy tentatively touched a hand to his arm, trying to calm him. It worked. The anger leached out of his expressiion and his shouders slackened as his breathing grew even.

_Yours._ Her soul whispered to him in that instant, knowing he couldn't possibly hear her. _Always yours._

Naruto looked at her then, and his expression softened.

"Shall we go, Wendy?" He smiled, and it was as if nothing had ever happened. "The others are waiting. We still have to get to the dorm before midnight." He turned, to leave. Wendy nodded, meekly, and followed after him. It would not strike her until much later that she'd just witnessed cold-blooded murder, before her very eyes. She would not realize until much, much later...

...that she didn't give a damn about it.

**A/N: Aaaaaaaand that is why you don't screw with a third generation dragon slayer. Unless you want a hole in your head! Naruto's finally gone and bedded Ultear, after much teasing and torment from said sorceress. Men have their limits! Will he live to regret this decision? Who knows? Also, Daaaaaaaw! Naruto and Wendy moment at the end! Remeber, this may be a harem but these two are the main pairing!**

**Alas I must leave for work now, although I can promise you that updates for this story will come at more regular pace than the horrendus wait I've made you all endure. TE GRAND MAGIC GAMES WILL OFFICIALLY BEGIN NEXT CHAPPY! So, in the immortal words of Atlas...**

**...Review, Would You Kindly?**

**And, of course, here is a faint (albeit rough) taste of things to come...**

**Preview:**

_"Let's get on with this event already!" Makarov cackled. "Kahahaha! We'll show 'em the power of Fairy Tail!"_

_"Did you hear that?" A passerby snorted. "Fairy Tail!"_

_"Where?" Asked another. "Them?"_

_"The weak little guild forever claiming last place!" Snickered the first, a weasely fellow unworthy of further mention._

_"Who laughed just now!" Natsu growled._

_"Knock it off." Erza sighed. "There's no point."_

_"You guys gonna get last place this year, too?"_

_"Everyone know Sabertooth is gonna dominate!"_

_"I wouldn't be so sure of that, friend." Naruto stepped forward, cracking his fingers together. "We might surprise you."_

_Both men gawped._

_"Holy shit!"_

_"It's Leviathan!"_

_"I thought he was with Sabertooth!"_

_"He was."_

_All eyes turned, regarding the speaker._

_"Seriously, just come back to the guild already!" Sting laughed. "I'm sure Minerva-chan would welcome you back with open arms if you begged for mercy-_

_BAM!_

_Naruto's head cracked against the younger dragon's like a sledgehammer. There was a silence. Sting crumpled like a sack of potatoes, leaving his fellow slayer to step over his form. Naruto lashed out again. Hard. The sound of boot meeting bone echoed across the street, punctuated by a groan. Sting flew. Literally. One moment the boy had been hauling himself to his feet. The next Naruto's boot collided with his chest and launchd him halfway across the street._

_"My days with Sabertooth are over." He hissed back. "And don't you dare mention that stalker bitch in front of me ever again! In fact, you can tell her to kiss my ass! We're done! Finished! Caput! I dumped her ass and that's final!"_

_Sighing he, turned to face a host of inquisitive stares._

_"What?" He shrugged. "Did I forget to mention that I used to be Sabertooth?"_

_"YES!" Everyone shouted!_

* * *

_"Pardon me, but might you be Uzumaki Naruto?"_

_He didn't bother to turn._

_"And if I am?"_

_Naruto turned, presenting the speaker with his profile, giving her his full attention._

_She was a slim, large-busted woman, long, dark hair lofting around a heart-shaped face, falling to the middle of her back. Idly, he noted it was cut in the traditional Japanese "princess style", if it could be called such. His gaze drifted lower. She wore an elaborate blazer with a large collar, open to reveal a collared shirt and tie underneath. The cuffs of this jacket tucked into a pair of gloves, one of which cradled a longsword. On her legs, she bore a pair of black tights, which, like the gloves, were tucked into a pair of thigh-high boots and under a short frilled skirt. He raised his gaze again, amused to see the ribbon in her hair, the ends of the bow pointing straight up, lending them the vague but omnipresent appearance of animal ears._

_Damn but she's cute._

_All in all, she looked dangerous._

_"And you are...?"_

_"My name is Kagura Mikazuchi." The woman introduced herself with a curt bow. "It is a pleasure to finally meet you...Leviathan."_

_"I'm honored you know of me." He nodded. "So? Is there something you want?"_

_"I have a request." Kagura's brow furrowed. In one smooth movement she drew; raised her sheathed sword and brought it to bear upon him. "Before our match today..._

_...I would like to request a spar."_

_Naruto balked._

_"Eh?"_

**R&R! =D**


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